Tom Riddle's Redemption
by Sweethoneytwilight
Summary: Rewritten. One of Tom Riddle's Horcruxes has finally done it. He's regained his body and ready to wreck havoc among the Wizarding World. Only one thing is stopping him.
1. Chapter 1

"Good morning, Honey Bee."

Honey awoken to see her mother and father's smiling face looking down at her. She blinked and sat up, still surprised to find herself in her bedroom at home. She looked at the window to her left to assure herself that it was there.

"Good morning." She greeted her parents in return.

"We're going to meet with the Minister about you today. You have to look your best. I'll be waiting downstairs with breakfast ready." said her father. He kissed her head and her mother's cheek before leaving the room.

As her mother helped her with her morning routine, Honey simply stood stiff as a doll, and allows her mother to wash and clothed her. Her mind was too disoriented to do it herself. She had dreamed that she was in Hogwarts. They were having the Sorting ceremony. She was nervous as she sat on the stool chair. The smelly hat was placed on her head.

"SLYTHERIN!" it shouted.

The next thing she remembered was being in front of three-way mirrors and a hideous creature was staring back at her. The sight shocked her and made her run. Hogwarts, all of it, must have been a dream. This sort of thing had happened to her many times. To live in a dream that felt real. There was no point in questioning it. It would only give her a headache. She was going to sit back and observe because it was all she ever could do.

After breakfast, her mother stayed home while Honey and her father went to the Ministry of Magic. When they arrived, Honey saw a very long and splendid hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The peacock blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that kept moving and changing like some enormous heavenly notice board. The walls on each side were paneled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them. Every few seconds a witch or wizard would emerge from one of the left-hand fireplaces with a soft whoosh. On the right-hand side, short queues of wizards were forming before each fireplace, waiting to depart.

Halfway down the hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Tallest of them all was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight up in the air. Grouped around him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin and a house-elf. The last three were all looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard. Glittering jets of water were flying from the ends of their wands, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblins hat and each of the house-elf's ears, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water.

Honey stayed close to her father as he guided her through the crowd of witches and wizards with ease. Her father was a very tall man with a lean build and had an aristocratic air about him that demanded consideration. When people saw him they would part for him, no matter how distracted they were. She imagined if she were here alone. She would be invisible, due to her plain and small stature. She blended in well with the crowd.

When they arrived in the Minister's office, Honey and her father were greeted warmly. She took in the interior of the office and Minister Fudge's appearance. He was a small man with disheveled grey hair. He was wearing a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie and a silver pocket watch. He smiled kindly at her and she nodded, acknowledging him.

After they took their seats, Honey listened to the conversation between the Minister and her father. Not before long, their voices began to fade into the distance and were replaced by silence. It was as if someone had cast a silencing charm around her. She could see their lips moving but nothing registered. This had often happened to her and she never liked this feeling of deafness.

"Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom." She said. She needed to find somewhere so she could compose herself.

The Minister pointed to a door on her left, which she assumed was his private washroom. She went into the room and braced herself against the door. Taking deep breathes; she pressed her hands over her chest. Feeling better, she washed her hands. While wiping her hands with a towel, her body suddenly stiffened in hearing a soft feminine voice.

_"Come here…"_

It was a voice so familiar that she struggled with difficultly to remember where she heard it before. Lost in a trace, she dropped the towel on the floor and followed the sound of the hypnotic voice. Her surroundings darken as she closed her eyes. All she heard was the voice guiding her feet.

_"Look at me. Just once, let me see your face."_

Honey felt an icy touch against her cheek and opened her eyes. A shadow was floating in front of her in the silhouette of a person.

_"You're here...you're really here..."_ said the shadow.

"Who are you?" ask Honey as the voice became clearer.

_"I'm your mother."_

"You are?"

_"Yes."_

Honey shivered at the shadow's cold embrace and shook her head. "No you're not. My mother isn't cold!"

_"Don't say that."_ it pleaded, with a voice laced with pain.

"You're not my mother!" Turing from the shadow, she ran to the other direction. She could hear the shadow's cries of despair as it begged for her to come back, but she dared not to look back. As she continued to run in the unrecognizable setting, she prayed for her father and he appeared just as she had wished. She fell into his chest and he wrapped her in his arms.

"Honey, what's wrong? Where did you go?" asked her father.

"Take me home." she said, shaken by the encounter.

Honey was home, lying back on her bed. She pushed the blanket off to the side and quietly walked out of her room and down the hall to her parent's bedroom. Carefully, she pushed the door slightly open and listened to their conversation.

"She went to the bathroom and didn't come out. I was suspicious and knocked on the door." her father told her mother. "No one was there."

Her mother listened patiently, urging him to continue.

"I don't know how she left the bathroom. There was only one door. The whole Ministry was on alert. All available Aurors had formed a search party. We found her three hours later wondering the halls on the ninth level, clutching these cards in her hand." He said, holding the cards up for his wife to see. "The ninth level! How did she even reach that far down without detection?"

"Her magic could have taken her there." suggested her mother.

"Her magic is unstable. I don't think she should go to Hogwarts. What if...what if an accident happens again?"

Her mother went to her father and took his hands. "Nothing will happen. She'll be in Hogwarts. Safe. A place she's meant to be."

"Safe? A boy _died_ last year!" exclaimed her father.

"It was an accident." insisted her mother. "Lives get lost during the Triwizard Tournament – it's a risk that everyone knows about."

"What about that Potter boy? He says You-Know-Who has returned. I even heard that one of the teachers was kidnapped and replaced by a Death Eater."

"We don't know if that's true."

"The year before that I heard a prisoner escaped Azkaban and spotted in Hogwarts."

"That was never confirmed."

"The year before that, students were getting petrified by a Basilisk."

"If there really was a Basilisk in that school, then the students would have been dead not petrified." argued her mother.

"What of the year before that? I heard You-Know-Who was in Hogwarts searching for the Philosopher's Stone."

After hearing all that her father had to said, her mother didn't appear convinced. "Rumors! Nothing but rubbish!"

"I don't want her going to that school. It's dangerous. Let's move back home, let her go to school there."

Her mother shook her head. "She has to be in Hogwarts."

"Why Hogwarts?"

"It was my school, Ben. Hogwarts holds a special place in my heart. I want the same for Honey."

As her mother rested her head on her father's shoulders, Honey closed the door. She went back to her room and sat on her bed, contemplating who or what that shadow creature was. It insisted that it was her mother, which she knew not to be true. It mistook her for someone else. She concluded and decided to forget about the incident. It was a mistake. Tried from all of the excitement of the day, Honey went to sleep.

The next day, Honey was still lying on her bed. With her body still, she stared at the ceiling as she had done for the last six years. Her eyes went to the door, where her mother stood watching her.

"I didn't want to disturb you." said her mother. She walked to Honey's bed and sat on the chair beside it.

"You're not."

Honey sat up and her mother adjusted her pillow for her to rest her back on.

"Good…I want to talk to you about…about things." Her mother paused for a moment to gather her courage. "You are starting school at Hogwarts, leaving the shelter of this room, our arms."

Honey waited patiently for her mother to continue, but her mother appeared too nervous to complete the speech she had prepared.

"Is something wrong?" asked Honey.

"Um…" her mother pulled Honey into a tight embrace. "Be cautious."

Honey hugged her mother in return, breathing in the scent of roses from her mother's dark brown hair. "I will."

"Whatever decisions you make know that I will always love you."

Afterward her parents took her to Diagon Alley to purchase basic items she needed for school. The books were easy to find since they already had them in their family library. When the day came, the journey to King's Cross Station was quiet. As they reached the station, her parents walked her to the area between platforms nine and ten. When no one was looking, each of them went into the barrier and into platform nine and three-quarters. The Hogwarts Express was over a platform packed with departing students and their families.

Honey's parents took turns kissing her goodbye and wishing her well in school. Her father gave her trunk to her, which had been shrunken so that it was light enough for her to carry, and stood there watching walked to the train on her own. Honey waved to them one last time before turning around quickly, stumbling and nearly stepping on the tail of a black dog. The dog whined and jumped out of her way.

"Sorry!" she said to the dog.

"Honey!" her parents shouted through the crowd, rushing to see if she was okay.

When they were certain that she was fine, they lead her into the train and kissed her goodbye again. She found an empty compartment and sat down. Being in the train was not as exciting as she thought it would be. She had waited six years to be there, why was she not smiling ear to ear and skipping. She often feared that the years she had spent trapped within the sterilized prison had left her jaded. Maybe it did?

When Honey was eleven, a large crystal sculpture had fallen on top of her and nearly killed her. She had swallowed a few glass shards, which damaged her throat, cutting blood vessels. The healers had managed to mend her physical wounds, but her psychological wounds took longer. It took four years for them to persuade her to use her voice again.

She had been home-schooled by her parents, spending most of her days and nights reading and rereading any book available. She could recite them word for word from memory. Because of that, she already knew the material her Hogwarts Professors were teaching her. She could have just taken her O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, passed with flying colors, but she wanted the school experience, something she had been denied. The accident had happened right after she'd received her Hogwarts letter.

She just turned seventeen and was deemed well enough to leave the healers' immediate care. She asked her parents to allow her to attend Hogwarts like she was supposed to have been years earlier. After her father spoke with the headmaster and Minister, she was accepted and place in fifth year to take her O.W.L.s. The headmaster and teaching staff knew her real age and situation. Her parents didn't want her to be teased or treated differently by the other students, and the staff respected that. Not that anyone could tell her age from her appearance. Six years of being trapped indoors and living off hospital food had caused her growth to develop more slowly than average. Although she was seventeen she was smaller than the average seventeen year old, and much smaller than a fifth year.

* * *

><p>In her dorm room, Honey carefully shuffled the deck of Tarot cards in her hands and spread them on the surface of her bed. Taking a deep breath, she chose a card from the center and kept it face-down. On the count of ten, she flipped the card over and felt her heart stop. The graveyard. Again.<p>

"Do stop torturing yourself, love," said her grandfather from the nightstand by her bed.

Honey looked at the miniature portrait as tears welled in her eyes. Her grandfather stared back at her with concern.

"Throw that cursed deck away," he ordered.

Honey placed the cards back in her bag and picked up the portrait. It was an heirloom she had inherited from her grandpa along with the rest of his fortune when he recently passed away. It was created long ago when he was twenty, the frame was chipped with age and the paint was slightly faded. But that didn't distract one's eyes from the young, handsome man with bright blue eyes, tall and elegant in his dark robes.

"What difference will it make?" said Honey. "I'll still die, with or without the deck. At least this way I'll see it coming."

"Cease this talk of your death. The only death I want to hear about is Albus Dumbledore's!"

Honey winced and prepared herself for the partial lie she was about to tell him. "I've been busy with schoolwork. I have O.W.L.s to study for, grandfather." Rubbing the round crystal tied around her neck, she gathered her courage and continued, "I – I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't kill him for you."

Honey held her breath as her grandfather looked at her thoughtfully. For a moment she believed he would understand her words and feelings. She didn't want to kill her headmaster. She didn't want to kill anyone, period. It was her grandfather's dying wish that she do the deed, without his explaining the reason behind his hatred of Dumbledore. She found it difficult to convince him she wouldn't do it. Even when she outright said she wouldn't, he always found a way to guilt her back into it or ignored her words entirely.

"Oh, all right, love. You can kill him next year – or how about this summer? I'm sure you'll have plenty of time between lessons to plot and kill him during summer break."

Seeing the time on the clock-radio, Honey gathered the cards and stuffed them in her bag and headed straight for the Divination classroom in the North Tower. Hugging her bag to her chest, she carefully made her way through the corridors, walking past students who huddled in groups chatting since there was still a lot of time left before the bell rang. They had time, but Honey didn't. She had to start for her class early because she walked at a slow pace and needed all the time she could get. The teachers had told her it was all right for her to arrive at class a little late because of her condition, but she didn't feel right about it. She had purposely arrived to all of her classes early.

Emerging from the trap door, she spied Professor Trelawney putting copies of battered leather-bound books on each of the spindly little tables. Professor Trelawney blinked when she saw Honey sitting in her usual seat and came over to her.

"My dear, did you get all of your affairs in order like I advised you to? You mustn't overlook anything or you'll be sorry," said Professor Trelawney, patting Honey's shoulder.

The first day Honey had stepped foot in the class, Professor Trelawney had come up to her, eyed her intensely, then told her she was going to die. At first Honey thought she was speaking about her hospitalization six years ago, but the older woman shook her head as if she could read Honey's mind. What she had predicted upset Honey greatly. She sat nervously rubbing the crystal her uncle had given her on her birthday to soothe her. She'd felt better after a few of her kind classmates, who had overheard, assured her she wouldn't die.

"Don't listen to her," said Meredith Brook, a fellow Ravenclaw, as she sat next to Honey. "She predicts someone's death every year. It's her way of greeting you."

"Yeah," said Becky Knight, sitting behind them. "Says Harry Potter's going to die every now and then. Last I saw he's still walking in the corridors."

"Thank you," said Honey with honest appreciation.

"We and a couple of others are going to study in the Library later. You should join us," suggested Meredith.

Honey's face heated with excitement. "Y-yes, I'd love to." This was the first time anyone had invited her to anything. Being isolated from people for six years, with the exception of her parents and family members, caused her to have limited social skills. She didn't mind being alone, but having company was good too.

After that Honey spent most of her time with her new friends. Since she had previously studied the material for the year she was able to tutor them in their schoolwork. There were doing in most of the subjects but she noticed that they all have trouble with their History of Magic class.

"I've a scheduled exam with my family Healer. I'll be missing class next week, starting tomorrow," Honey informed Professor Trelawney as she had the rest of her teachers, friends, and the Headmaster. "It's nothing serious, just a routine check-up."

Professor Trelawney sighed. "Ohhhh...you poor, poor child. The dark cloud coiled around you is plotting against you. Soon it's going to swallow you up."

Honey ignored her and opened her book. This was the same thing Professor Trelawney said to her whenever she saw her, and she had learned to ignore the ominous words.

"Such a shame, a gifted witch. Lost." murmured Professor Trelawney as the rest of the students filled the room.

Honey's physical examination took longer than expected. It took her healers three weeks to finish examining the nerves and muscles on the rejoined bones of her legs. Having not been used in a long time, the muscles were swollen from her walking and carrying books. Other than a little fatigue, however, she was perfectly fine. Her healers discharged Honey with a few bottles of potions and a list of exercises she had to do to improve her muscle function.

Believing it was best to have things settled, Honey met with her solicitor, who was in charge of her financial holdings. It didn't matter to Honey if Professor Trelawney and the cards were right or wrong. Everyone died sooner or later.

By the time she had finished looking over her will it was late at night. Her solicitor suggested Honey stay home and return to school the next day. She refused, believing herself well enough to return that night. When she got off the train and walked through the entrance, Honey was greeted by Marvolo, a ghost who lived at Hogwarts. He was the first friend she had made there.

"Welcome back, Honey. I was so worried about you," said Marvolo.

"It was nothing really, just a routine check-up," said Honey. She put her trunk down and turned her head in the direction of his disembodied voice. Marvolo was always invisible when he spoke to her, claiming he was too shy to let anyone see him.

"That's good to hear."

There was a silent pause, which prompted Honey to think that Marvolo had flown off somewhere. She picked up her trunk and was about to head to her dormitory when he began to speak again.

"Honey, have you ever hear of the Chamber of Secrets?"

"The Chamber of Secrets? Oh...yes, yes, I have. It's a secret chamber created by Salazar Slytherin. Inside was a creature of some sort that was supposed to be unleashed by Slytherin's heir. His heir was supposed to unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic." Honey recited what her friends had told her. "Over two years ago the Chamber was opened and a few students got petrified by the creature, which turned out to be a Basilisk, but they survived and the Basilisk was killed by Harry Potter."

"Yes..." Marvolo said flatly.

"Is something wrong?" asked Honey.

"No, no. I was wondering if you'd like to see the Chamber."

Honey blinked at this. "See the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yes."

"But it's been sealed, hasn't it?"

"There is more than one entrance. If you'd like to see it, I can show you."

"Hm...I don't know. It's very late and I'm very tired. Can't you show me tomorrow?"

"No. Not tomorrow. This is the only time we can go. Come on, Honey, think of it as an adventure."

Honey creased her brow, contemplating whether she wanted to go or not. An adventure was what she had always dreamed about while she'd been locked indoors for so long, reading novels. Could she really have an adventure? A small one. It couldn't hurt, could it?

"Trust me, Honey, it'll be fun."

"All right, let's go," she said, against her better judgment. Marvolo was a good friend and she did trust him. "Wait, I just have to put my trunk away."

"There's no time. You have to go now. Use a shrinking charm on your trunk and take it with you. Now, close your eyes and listen to my voice."

Trusting him, Honey did as he suggested and followed his directions. Soon she found herself standing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel. Using a Lumos charm to light her way, she continued to follow his directions until she saw a solid wall in front of her. It was carved with two serpents entwined, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

"Open," she heard Marvolo whisper. The serpents parted as the wall cracked open. The two halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Honey, who was shaking from head to foot with excitement, walked through the opening.

Inside she saw towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rising to support a ceiling lost in darkness. The pillars cast long black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. She placed her wand in her pocket and ventured furthered in. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following her. Gazing at the snakes, she was reminded of the Tarot card with Death on it and how his hollow eyes had followed her. Brushing the thought aside, she drew level with the last pair of pillars. A statue as high as the Chamber itself loomed into view against the back wall. It was of a wizard who appeared ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of his sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor.

"Salazar Slytherin," she muttered, as voices began whispering in her ear. She tilted her head in an attempt to understand them.

"Welcome back..." were the words she thought she heard.

"Look over on your right, Honey."

Honey jumped, suddenly hearing Marvolo's voice. Turning her head, she gasped at what she saw. It was the skeletal remains of the Basilisk.

"It's beautiful," she said, stepping closer.

Gingerly she reached her hand out and caressed its large head. Feeling heat on her neck, Honey took off her necklace and stared at it. She winced as the crystal burned her hands, and dropped it. She clasped her hands to her chest and her body began to shiver from the sudden cold air that replaced the heat. Her breath was clearly visible in the damp air.

"Cold?" came Marvolo's voice.

Honey turned and there was a tall, handsome, black-haired boy standing over her necklace.

"Marvolo?" she said. He was transparent, similar to the other ghosts she had seen, yet not the same. Something about him was different. Very different. And his cold smile, it was familiar. Very familiar...

Honey's eyes widened as long-forgotten memories resurfaced. Six years ago she had had an imaginary friend named Tommy. Tommy was a handsome little boy with pale skin and dark hair. He went everywhere with her and played with her while she was alone in her room. She was special, he said; he wanted to play with only her and no one else. Like a fool, she believed him and his sickly-sweet words. She trusted him.

One night he awakened her while everyone else was still sleeping and coaxed her into playing a game with him. An adventure game. No, they couldn't play it tomorrow. Not tomorrow. This was the only time they could play it. They must hurry now, or else he wouldn't play with her again. Against the advice of the little voice that was telling her to go back to bed, Honey agreed to go, and put on a coat over her nightdress. Tommy told her to close her eyes and listen only to his voice. His game was fun at first, until they reached the end. She opened her eyes to find that they were inside the crystal room, the room farthest from everyone's bedrooms. The whole room was filled with large glass cases housing various crystal sculptures, from the marble floor to the ceiling.

She clasped her hands over her chest and her body began to shiver from the sudden cold air, her breath visible. Glancing around, she saw that the glass cases near her had fogged up.

"Tommy, I think we should go back," she said, but when she tried to leave the door swung closed by itself.

She rubbed her eyes, which were growing heavy, and forced them to open. That was when she saw him. Reflected in the glass was a tall, handsome, black-haired boy standing near her. He looked about sixteen and had features similar to Tommy's. He could have been Tommy's brother, but something told Honey he wasn't.

"Tommy?" she heard herself say as she spun around to face him.

"Come here, Honey Bee," said Tommy. He was holding his hand out to her, beckoning her to come to him.

She shook her head, frightened by the odd red gleam in his hungry eyes. A voice in her head yelled for her to run, to get away from him. She ran to the door and tried to open it, but she stopped as she felt her strength draining from her body. Tommy laughed a high, cold laugh from where he was leaning against a glass display case.

"I'm tired, Tommy. I want to go back to bed." Honey said quietly, still facing the door.

"So soon?" he chided her. "The game's just begun."

Like a scared rabbit, Honey dashed through the maze of glass in an attempt to distance herself from him. Tommy followed a few feet behind her at a slow pace, toying with her. It was as if he knew the layout of the room as well as she did. Heart pounding, she continue to run although it was obviously useless.

"This is getting boring," she heard Tommy say.

Honey yelped as something hit her in the back. She fell on the floor, crying as pain spread through her broken ankle. Before she could stand up a large crystal Phoenix fell on top of her lower half, pinning her where she lay.

"That's better," said Tommy, who was standing over her, no longer transparent.

A cold smile spread across his face as he watched her struggle weakly to get out from under the sculpture. She sobbed. Little bits of glass had embedded themselves in her skin and blood was seeping out of the wounds. She dared not ask him for help, especially when he look so amused at her suffering. Quitting her efforts to move the heavy object, she took a deep breath and let out a long, piercing scream. Tommy roughly grabbed her jaw, forcing her mouth to stay open. Honey hit him repeatedly with her fist, not wanting him to touch her. Undaunted by her attacks, he tightened his grip on her jaw and with his other hand he picked up a broken hand-sized sculpture from nearby and beat her arms with it until they were cut and bloody and useless. Strangely enough, his hand was unharmed.

Satisfied that she was now immobilized, he picked a small shard of glass off the floor and held it over her mouth. "Let's see how long it'll take before you pass out." He shrugged. "Or...die."

Tears flooded her vision as she realized what he was planning to do.

"One...two...three...four...five..."

Tommy's voice was drowned out by the sound of Honey choking on her own blood. The glass shards fell into her mouth, cutting into her tongue and everything else, becoming embedded deeper and deeper. Pain coursed through her throat whenever it involuntary contracted in an attempt to push the shards out, but it only caused her more pain and more loss of blood. She was bleeding from the inside out.

Focusing her remaining strength on her right arm, which was behind Tommy, she managed to move it and reached around for anything she could hit him with. Feeling something smooth and round, she grabbed it. A voice told her to hit him with it if she wanted to live. She picked up the glass and smashed it into his back. As she lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was a bright light engulfing Tommy.

Back in the Chamber of Secrets, Honey glanced at her crystal necklace on the floor and then at Marvolo or Tommy – whatever this name was. It became clear to her that the crystal was the same one she'd hit him with on that day, long ago. He must have been trapped inside it for all these years. That was why she hadn't seen him until now. Her uncle must not have known it was housing a psychopathic ghost when he gave it to her.

"You remember." Marvolo stated. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "Hmm...It was quite an ordeal you put me through."

"What _I_ put _you_ through?" Honey's voice was tight as she held in her anger. "Because of you, I was in a coma for months. When I woke my voice was gone, my arms and legs were completely useless. Every day I felt nothing but pain. For nearly six years I rarely slept, terrified of something I couldn't remember." She looked him over, hatred dripping from every word.

He gave her a lazy stare. "If you'd done your part like a good girl, lay there and died like you were supposed to, you wouldn't have had to suffer so much."

Marvolo rubbed his ears with his palms as Honey screamed, her bottled-up emotions breaking free. He sighed when she finally stopped and fell on the stone floor with a thump. Willing the ringing in his ears to cease, he strode to her unconscious form. He was tempted to wake her up with a slicing curse but decided against it. If last time had taught him anything, it was that she had a strong will to live. If she were conscious there was a good chance she would escape again. He didn't want that. It was why he had particularly chosen the Chamber of Secrets in which to kill her. With the entrance sealed there was no escape unless she spoke Parseltongue. Might as well sit there and wait for her to finish dying.

Kneeling beside Honey, he studied her, noting that she was no longer that tiny little brat he'd known before. Six years had passed since he'd last seen her. While trapped in the crystal he couldn't see anything, only hearing voices. It was much like when he'd been trapped in the Horcrux, yet not. In the Horcrux he'd been able to use his magic to manipulate Honey, but inside the crystal he had no magic, because he was weakened from the trauma of being sucked into it. He could only speak to her. It didn't matter. He'd always been able to charm the people he needed, and Honey was no exception. She'd fallen for him all over again. She didn't know it, but every time she rubbed the crystal she transferred all her worries and fears into it. That was what he'd been feeding off of. It gave him enough strength to use his magic and begin draining the life out of her, restoring his. Presently she became less whiny, but she was still needy. It was that neediness for others in her that had allowed Marvolo to gain her trust and manipulate her. Everything had been going according to plan until she'd developed a social life. Since entering Hogwarts and making friends, her dependency on him had started to wane. He couldn't have that. He had to finishing draining her as soon as possible, while she still trusted him. Needed him.

"I'm going to miss you when you're gone," Marvolo said as he caressed her cheek with the back of his knuckles, feeling magic course through him. Slowly, he was becoming human once again. "You put up quite a fight."

"Will..." she said in a soft breath, her glazed eyes staring up at him.

Hearing a low sound going from her mouth, he leaned his ear over her lips to see what her last words would be.

"Will...am..." she hissed before taking her last breath. Her body stiffened, her face was pale. She was dead.

Marvolo turned to face her as his mind registered that she'd been speaking Parseltongue. Distracted by the knowledge, he didn't see her tie transform into a black snake. The snake turned its head and stared at Marvolo. Sensing that his mistress was being threatened, it bit him on the face without warning. Marvolo fell back, cupping his stinging face.

"William?" he hissed. How could he have forgotten she'd Transfigured her pet snake into a tie to sneak him into Ravenclaw Tower?

Raising himself from her chest, William hissed, "Stay away! Stay away!"

Marvolo groaned in pain as disembodied hisses joined William's, echoing off the walls.

"You're not welcome here, Mudblood! Kill the Mudblood! Kill the Mudblood! Kill the Mudblood!"

"Shut up!" Marvolo hissed back, but the hisses continued.

He went back to Honey's body, knowing that she probably had an antidote for William's venom somewhere in her robes.

"Move, William," he hissed, waving the snake away. "I'm trying to help your mistress!"

"Liar! Liar!" William accused him, biting his hand.

Growling in frustration, Marvolo abandoned William and his dead mistress. He ran toward the entrance of the Chamber.

"Open!" he hissed but it remained sealed.

"You're not welcome here, Mudblood! Kill the Mudblood! Kill the Mudblood! Kill the Mudblood!"

Why are the voices screaming about a Mudblood? There was only him and Honey. He was a half-blood and she was a pure-blood. Was someone else there? A Mudblood? Glancing around, he searched for the presence of a Mudblood as the hissing grew louder and louder.

"Shut up!" he hissed back. "There is no Mudblood here! Shut it!" The hisses suddenly stopped. All was silent. The only sound that could be heard was him breathing.

"Parseltongue won't work for you anymore, _Mudblood_. Now that I'm here." came Honey's voice.

An invisible force suddenly grabbed Marvolo. His arms were spread and his body lifted a foot off the stone floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Honey striding toward him. Apart from the cold expression on her face she looked surprisingly good for a person who's supposed to be dead. William's head lay on her left shoulder and his bottom half coiled lazily around her neck. He raised his head and displayed his fangs when Honey stopped in front of him.

"Who are you?" asked Marvolo.

"Don't you recognize me?" Honey asked him casually.

Marvolo scoffed. This person – whoever she was – may look and sound like Honey, but it was not her. Honey's eyes had never been so emotionless, and he'd made sure her bones were thoroughly crushed, which wouldn't allow her to move so easily.

"Where's Honey?"

"I am Honey."

"No, you're not."

Honey smiled. "If I weren't Honey, how would I know you tried to kill her six years ago?" she tapped her chin. "Let's see...you broke her ankles."

Marvolo cringed as he felt his ankles abruptly twist and break. As the pain dulled, he realized that Honey had spoken of herself in the third person, and that she had no wand. This was clearly not Honey. He'd seen her die. This person or thing must have taken possession of her body while Marvolo was recovering in the Hospital Wing. If that was true, then how did she know about what he'd done to Honey?

"Crushed her legs."

Marvolo threw his head back and screamed as the bones of his legs were crushed flat.

"Ribs."

He let out a string of curses as his ribs snapped and the ends dug into his body, puncturing organs.

"And you beat her arms."

He pulled at his invisible restraints before what felt like hammers started beating his arms.

"Let's not forget the glass shards..."

Honey watched dispassionately as her tormentor lay on the stone floor. His body was twisted at odd angles and he was coughing up blood. Blood seeped from little bits of glass embedded all over his skin. It pleased her to see that he was being punished for his actions. Twice now, he'd attempted to take her life.

Thinking back, she realized it was her fault for being too shy to befriend anyone. That was why she was so alone. When he'd come to her, talked to her, played with her, she'd thought he was her friend, someone who cared for her. But no. The warnings had been so clear, the whispers constant, but she'd ignored them.

He had deceived her right from the start, seducing her with extraordinary tales of brave heroes and mystical creatures. Late at night she'd dreamed of those tales, wishing they were real. He'd claimed they were and promised they'd have an adventure of their own. He'd lied.

Why hadn't she been able to see his dark intentions? His true feelings for her? There was hatred in his eyes. Hatred for her.

"Tommy," she said.

He cowered as she knelt beside him, her face mere inches from his, filling his vision.

"Or do you prefer to be call Marvolo?" she continued without waiting for him to reply. "Marvolo, then. Don't worry, Marvolo, we'll mend you right up. It took me six years to pull myself together. Let's see how long it takes you."

The look in his eyes told her that he knew she had no mercy for him. That she felt no remorse. There was no escape because she remembered everything...

His cold smile when he'd torn her apart.

The satisfaction in his eyes as she lay there, bloody and broken, like he was now.

Let him know her fear. Feel her pain. Understand her helplessness.


	2. Chapter 2

"Stay still," Honey ordered Marvolo as she wrapped the bandage around his forearm.

He was angry at her for digging out the shard of glass from his flesh with those extra sharp tweezers. She was wrapping him up like a mummy, forcing him to heal like a Muggle, instead of giving him potions to heal faster and he knew it. He was rebelling against her in any little form he could. It didn't matter. Compared to what he had done to her, this was nothing. Besides, she was being accommodating him. She had brought him a nice bed to lie on, which she found in a storage room, and clean sheets.

With the truth finally out, Marvolo had given up his façade of a charming gentleman and openly glared at her with hatred. It was gone for a split second when he winced as she tightened the bandage. "I'm leaving now. Behave while I'm gone or else."

Honey left the Chamber of Secrets, returning to Ravenclaw Tower. With her head held high and legs moving swiftly, Honey walked up the spiral staircase she had once dreaded. Before she used to keep her eyes down and count the steps to distract herself from the tight, dizzying circles. Normally towards the middle she would be panting and fighting to catch her breath, her legs aching. No more would she have to cling onto the walls for support or be nervous within the tight space.

At the top of the stairs she reached a door. There was not a handle and no keyhole: nothing but a plain expanse of aged wood and a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. Reaching out a hand, she knocked once, and in the silence the sound of a cannon blasted. At once the eagle's beak opened, but instead of a bird's call, a soft, musical voice said, "I have a face and no ending form. Arms of multiple numbers. What am I and what is my purpose?"

"You're a clock," said Honey. "You're meant to keep track of time."

"Hurry before yours runs out," said the voice, and the door swung open.

"Perfect. Now _you're_ giving me ominous warnings." She said to the knocker before entering the portal.

The empty Ravenclaw common room was a wide, circular room. Graceful arched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue and bronze silks. By day the Ravenclaws would have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the midnight-blue carpet. There were tables, chairs, and bookcases, and in a niche opposite the door stood a tall, white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. Beside it was a door that led to the dormitories above.

Honey strode to the marble woman. "You know the real danger hasn't appeared until a knocker starts talking to you. Wonder whose ghost I'm going to see next?"

She walked up the stairs to her room and strolled past the rows of four-poster beds to get to hers. Taking off her cloak, she folded it on her bed.

"_Engorgio_," she whispered, turning her trunk back to its normal size. Opening the trunk, she took out her grandfather's mini-portrait and placed it on its usual spot on her nightstand. Her grandfather yawned and stretched without a care in the world, knowing nothing of her ordeal and the monster she had imprisoned.

"Good morning," she said to him.

"Dum...dore dead yet?" he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I'll kill him. Just you wait." She said playfully, surprising him.

She laughed as she fished a school robe out of the trunk and headed for the bathroom. She turned on the shower, and as the hot water sprinkled on her, Honey turned her head and looked at her naked reflection in the full-length mirror across from the shower stall. While she was in the hospital her parents had charmed everything in her room not to reflect her image. She figured it out one day when one of her uncles brought her a bouquet of flowers. He conjured a glass vase to place them in and put it on top of the nightstand, right next to her. Her mother was furious when she came in the room and saw the vase. With a look of regret, Honey's uncle had quickly turned the glass into stone.

Honey pretended like nothing was wrong, but she'd seen it, her reflection on the vase. She was hideous, reduced to nothing but skin and bones. Scars from large rough, white lines to small indentations decorated her skin. She looked like a starving bird that had been beaten and plucked clean of her feathers.

"Who are you?" she asked to the girl in the mirror.

"I'm you," the girl replied.

Honey shook her head. "No, you can't be." This girl with flawless, glowing skin and lush curves was not her. The person staring back at her was a stranger.

"Your dorm mates enchanted the mirror to show their reflections as beautiful," said the girl in the mirror.

Honey blinked, pulled from her thoughts. "Really?" It could be true that the talking reflection was always there; she might not have noticed it before. She did everything she could to avoid looking at her own reflection for fear of seeing how much worse she had gotten.

"Yes. I'm supposed to compliment them, too. But you look deathly pale and thin. Are you sick?"

"Well, I haven't slept in days," said Honey, inclining her head. "I'm very tired and thought I was hallucinating. I was contemplating destroying you."

"Goodness, don't! I'm just an innocent mirror. Don't break me—you're pale, yes, but you're gorgeous pale—"

"Enough. I won't break you," said Honey. She stepped out of the stall and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself. She was glad it was just a harmless enchanted mirror. For a moment there she'd thought she was going mad. She put on some clean robes, opened the door, and then stopped.

"Spoke too soon," she murmured, taking in her surroundings. In place of the hallway of Ravenclaw Tower was a desert of sand. Looking back at the bathroom, she saw that it had transformed into a dark cave. "I'm losing my mind. Wonderful."

Deciding not to step out into the hot desert, she turned around and wandered into the cave, feeling that it would be safer for her. Blinded by the darkness, she continued on by feeling her way through. As she ventured further and further, the cave began to feel like a tunnel that was getting smaller and smaller. Unable to stand on her legs because of the small space, Honey went down on her hands and knees and crawled. She crawled until she could not feel her arms anymore and her legs were numb and stiff. The space was tight enough now that she had to crawl on her belly. Many times she wanted to quit and turn back, but she couldn't. Something was preventing her.

Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, her heart raced. She doubled her efforts to reaching it. At last she was there. Emerging from the dark tunnel and into a lake of fresh, clear water, she had transformed into something, a creature of some sort that could breathe underwater. She couldn't see herself but she felt that she was different. She was no longer human. And she didn't care.

That night Evie Stone woke up to use the bathroom. On her way back to bed she noticed that Honey had returned. The bed curtains were closed, but Honey's trunk was clearly visible in the moonlight. Evie tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. Something was keeping her up, a muffed sound or something. She sat up and glanced around the room, searching for where it was coming from. Seeing movement from the curtains around Honey's bed, Evie thought Honey was having a nightmare and kicking her curtains. Dismissing it, Evie attempted to go back to sleep but still couldn't. The noise was driving her mad. Finally having had enough, she got out of bed and pulled Honey's curtains aside just a little to see what was wrong.

Honey was lying on her side facing Evie, one arm on top of the other, fisting the sheets. With her legs together, Honey pulled her knees to her stomach, her back arching out. Then she pushed both legs down, straightening her body, arching forward. She was twitching and jerking from one position to the other in an almost snake-like manner. It was disturbing to watch, but Evie couldn't look away.

After a while Honey stopped moving, as if the nightmare she was having was over. Relieved that she could sleep now, Evie was about to close the curtain and return to her bed when Honey's head suddenly jerked in Evie's direction and her eyes opened. Honey was staring right at her with yellow slit-eyes. They were inhuman, resembling the eyes of a cat or a reptile rather than her usual blue.

Evie covered her mouth with both hands, not letting the frightened gasp escape. Slowly she stepped backward toward her bed. Jumping onto the bed, she pulled the covers over her head with trembling hands and lay there shaking for the rest of the night.

"Where have you been?" Becky asked Honey the next morning.

"I thought you said you'd only be gone for two weeks. It's been nearly a month," stated Meredith.

Honey smiled as Becky and Meredith welcomed her back in their unique way as she entered the common room from the stairs. "Something came up. Nothing serious," she told them. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Loads," they said. Each taking one of her arms, they led her to their usual couches and began gossiping.

"Umbridge's been appointed as Hogwarts High Inquisitor, going around inspecting classes, and Potter got detention with her for speaking out about Cedric," said Meredith.

"Poor Harry," muttered Becky, who had a serious crush on him and believed him when he claimed that You-Know-Who's return, in spite of the _Daily Prophet_ making snide allusions to him for months.

"Poor Harry?" Meredith glared at her. "Cedric's the one who's dead!" she half-shouted, half-whispered, then she broke into a sob. "My poor, sweet Cedric..."

Becky and Honey patted Meredith's back. She'd been secretly in love with Cedric since her first year. She was beyond devastated when news of his death reached her ears.

"If only...if only..." Meredith's lips trembled as if she was unable to finish her sentence. "If only Chang hadn't stolen him from me."

"She couldn't have stolen him from you, Meredith." Becky reminded her. "He was never yours. Besides, Cho Chang seems nice."

Meredith wiped her eyes and turned to Becky with an evil grin. "I heard she's after Harry Potter now that Cedric is gone."

"That man-stealing hussy!" hissed Becky. "As if it wasn't bad enough she stole Cedric from you. Now she's after my Harry."

Honey cleared her throat. Although she was finding Becky's sudden change of opinion amusing, she wanted to hear about what else had happened while she was gone. But her friends weren't paying her much attention as they continued talking about Harry Potter and Cho Chang.

"Did you hear that rumor about how Potter murdered Cedric or purposely let him die, just so he could swoop in and take Chang?" asked Meredith.

"That's complete rubbish!" said Becky.

"I know," Meredith agreed. "I admit Chang has a pretty face, but really, she's not worth killing someone for."

"Harry did no such thing. I'm sure he did his best trying to save Cedric," Becky huffed. She took a few parchments from her bag and started folding them into cranes. She did it often as a way to relax herself and vent her frustrations and anger, losing herself in her craft and tuning out her surroundings.

Now that Becky was lost to her, Meredith turned to Honey. "Students are splitting into groups: ones who believe him, ones who don't, and ones who plain don't care."

"Do you believe him, Meredith? Do you believe You-Know-Who has returned?"

Meredith glanced left and right before inching closer to Honey and dropping her voice. "Yes, I do, but I'm not going about announcing it. This is a very delicate matter. One wrong word and you'll turn into a target. My uncle works at the Ministry. He told me all about how Umbridge handles her business. I can't even imagine what she's doing to Potter." She shook her head sympathetically, and then leaned back when someone walked past her chair.

In a normal tone she said, "And Grubbly-Plank wants us to sketch Bowtruckles for her. Remember to label all of its body parts."

"And McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus spell and the essay for Sprout on self-fertilizing shrubs," said Evie as she entered their circle and cautiously settled down, studying Honey intensely.

"I've already finished the majority of them," said Honey.

"You did?" said Meredith. "What about your dream diary for Trelawney?"

"I wrote down whatever I could think of."

"But how will you find out your fortune?" asked Meredith.

"Half of what she says come true." added Becky.

"But not the ones about dying, though. Those never happen." said Meredith.

"What is it, Evie?" Honey asked her, seeing that her friend had a strange look on her face.

"Nothing. I was, um...thinking about...stuff."

Soon they parted ways, each going their own class. Honey's mind floated through her classes until she entered the shadowy Divination room later, Professor Trelawney stared at her for two long minutes before walking up to her, circling around her, and looking her up and down. Honey stood still as a board, letting Professor Trelawney inspect her. This was the class Honey had been waiting for. The one she dreaded yet anticipated.

"The dark cloud has thinned," Trelawney said thoughtfully. "You're out of danger for now, but I see a storm brewing in the distance. Let me see the start you've made on your dream diary, please."

Honey took her dream diary from her bag and handed it to Professor Trelawney.

"A crow—you're flying to your death...a bat—oh no, no, you're not flying to your death. Something is going to fly at you, causing death...hmm...a desert...you're going to be buried alive. Climbing through a dark tunnel...you're descending into darkness. Water—swimming? You're going to drown. Yes, yes, drown. Sink to the bottom," said Professor Trelawney as she read the contents, flipping page after page.

It sounded like the woman was spouting nonsense. But the constant predictions she would make of her gruesome and early death bothered her. Although after what had happened with Marvolo, she wasn't quite sure if Trelawney's word were a mere joke or if she really saw Honey's death.

"Your shadow looks odd." Trelawney suddenly said.

Uncertain of how to respond, Honey shook her head and excused herself.

"Oh, Miss Sheridan." Honey turned around and was greeted by Professor Umbridge. "How was your check-up, my dear? I was so worried when you didn't return according to your schedule," Umbridge said in her high-pitched voice, breathy and little-girlish.

Honey smiled politely. "As mentioned in the letter I sent, I was held back for further examinations."

"Nothing serious, I hope," said Umbridge, her large, round eyes bulging in concern. Feeling the urge to tease, Honey said, "It was just a precaution. But if something is amiss...I might have to move back to France to be closer to my healer."

"Oh, no! It would be a shame for Hogwarts to lose such a gifted student."

_And her parents' donations to the Ministry_, thought Honey. Her parents were donating money to the Ministry as a bribe for them to look after her and make sure her first school year was as pleasant as possible.

"You are far too kind," said Honey, and she excused herself.

She didn't want to be in company with the toad woman any longer. Seeing how fake she was made Honey feel sick, and she realized she needed to heed these ill feelings she'd been having and listen to the voices. Marvolo had already proved she was a poor judge of character. Umbridge may act nice and kind, but for all Honey knew she might be a murderous lunatic, too. Honey's instincts were good, but she had stupidly chosen to ignore them. Not anymore.

After the crowd died down, Honey went into the Chamber of Secrets through the hidden passageway underneath a staircase on the ground floor. She had brought Marvolo a plate of food from the Great Hall. As she approached the bed in the middle of the Chamber, she found that it was empty. Calmly placing the plate on the chair next to the bed, she glanced about the Chamber in search of him. He wasn't difficult to find, seeing as he'd left a bloody trail for her to follow.

"Going somewhere?"

With his injuries Marvolo hadn't got too far. In fact, he was lying against a wall a few feet away from her, hiding in the shadows. His bandages were soaked with blood and filthy from crawling on the dirty floor. It seemed as if he was desperate to get away but didn't have enough strength to move.

"I told you to behave," said Honey. Chains appeared from the four corners of the bed and flew towards Marvolo.

"No!" he screamed as the chains circled his legs and dragged him back to the bed.

Honey picked up the plate and sat down on the chair. "I brought you food."

Marvolo responded to her cool attitude by spitting out line after line of foul speech while he pulled at his restraints.

"You must be hungry. Eat, Marvolo," she said, putting the spoon against his lips.

Marvolo turned his head away and pressed his lips together.

Honey stood from the chair and set the plate down. "I don't want you to starve."

"No."

"It tastes delicious."

"No."

"All right. If you're going to be difficult, fine." She grabbed Marvolo's jaw and turned his head, forcing him to face her. Holding his face with one hand, with the other she produced a plastic tube from her pocket. She forced his mouth open and pushed the tube down his throat, making sure it was secured. She picked up the plate and stirred the food around with the spoon, trying to make everything mushy and creamy. "Don't worry about the internal bleeding." She tapped the tube with the spoon. "I've got something for that. I'm an expert."

* * *

><p><em>This is not Honey.<em> Marvolo thought as she forced fed him. What had happened to Honey that caused her to change so much? It all started after she died in the Chamber of Secrets. She was dead. He saw her take her last breath with his own eyes. Suddenly, she was alive and different. There were voices. They were screaming about a Mudblood tainting Salazar Slytherin's sanctuary. The only explanation that he could think of was that the real Honey was dead and a Mudblood's ghost had taken possession her body. Could she be possessed by a ghost? There were ghosts floating all around Hogwarts, but he'd never seen one possess a student or teacher. If that wasn't the case, then what was wrong with Honey?

Marvolo growled in frustration. He couldn't think of any other reason for her drastic change in behavior, personality, and magic. Not knowing was driving him mad. He needed to know why. Perhaps it was not a ghost but something else entirely, a creature or an entity of some sort that had taken over Honey's body. He had to find out the truth.


	3. Chapter 3

After their classes were over, Meredith dragged Honey and Becky to the Quidditch pitch to spy on her lost love's old team. Meredith lay on her side on the bench, her temple resting on her fist, as she watched the Hufflepuffs practice.

"She does this as a ritual so she'll never forget the old days when she used to spy on Cedric," Becky whispered to Honey. "Poor thing." She shook her head and took out some books and a few pieces of parchment. "I always do my homework when we're up here."

Both of her friends lost in their own world, Honey took a book out of her bag and opened it. Her grandpa had given it to her as a gift. He said it was Gellert Grindelwald's personal journal. It was authentic and cost her grandpa a fortune to find. He said it would help her figure out a way to defeat Dumbledore. As she skimmed through the pages, she saw that it was an ancient and battered old copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard with notes on every parchment space available. How this book of magical fairy tales was going to help her, she had no idea. She turned the pages to find, _The Tale of the Three Brothers_. Her grandpa said she should pay close attention to this story.

Honey was familiar with all of the tales. They were common knowledge among the Wizarding world. _The Three Brothers_ was about three gifted wizards, who were travelling on a road at twilight. They reached a river too dangerous to swim and conjured a bridge. Halfway across the bridge Death appeared in a hooded cloak, blocking the path. He was angry that they didn't die from drowning in the river as many others before them had. He pretended to praise their powerful magic and cleverness and offered them prizes. After they received their prizes the brothers separated and went on their own adventure. The first two brothers met their ends because of their gifts from Death. When they died Death took them for his own. The third brother was the only one to survive to live a full and happy life. It was not until he grew old and frail did he removed his cloak and welcomed death as an old friend.

Honey read the tale from the book to refresh her memory.

_Antioch Peverell was the eldest brother. He was a combative man. He asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the Antioch. A week or so later, he went into an inn and bragged to all about his invincible wand and recounted his encounter with Death. In the night, another wizard crept upon Antioch as he lay sleeping in his bed. The thief stole the wand and slit Antioch's throat with such force that he was decapitated. His rotting, naked corpse was discovered three days later by the workers of the inn and removed. No family claimed his corpse because without a head it was difficult to tell who he was. Soon, the inn had to be closed down because the stint of Antioch's corpse was so strong. Not only did it linger heavily in the room he once resided in, but it traveled to the rest of the inn and discouraged patrons._

_The second brother, Cadmus Peverell, was an arrogant man. He decided that he wanted to humiliate Death by asking for the ability to resurrect the dead. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the Cadmus, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead. Cadmus returned to his home and turned the stone thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the woman, Alice Groston, the woman he was intended to marry before her untimely death, appeared before him. But she was no longer beautiful as she once was. Having died_ _many months ago and revived, her body had stopped short of decomposing and her heart began pumping life back into her. His love for her blinded him to her partial rotting form and awful smell. Alice was silent and cold, separated from him as though by a veil. She was indifferent toward him. She was angry that he had revived her for his own selfishness and how ignorant he was of the pained she had to endure by living in a decayed body. He moved them deep into the forest to hide her from the mocking of her appearance by others. While Cadmus was gone to fish for food, Alice crawled into a hearth and set herself on fire, ending her suffering. When Cadmus arrived home, he grew frantic when he could not find her. He discovered what she had done after reading a note she had left behind for him. Filled with hopeless longing for the woman he loved, he set their home on fire and allowed himself to be engulfed by the flames so he could join her._

_The youngest brother, Ignotus Peverell, was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers. He did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death handed him his own Cloak of Invisibility. Death searched for Ignotus for many years, but he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that Ignotus finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly. As equals, they departed this life._

Honey looked at the printed date this copy was released and was not surprise that it was during the fifteen century. Over the centuries, publishers had censured the author's work. Grindelwald's copy was more graphic compared to the one her parents had read to her. The version she knew was much less violent, with certain grisly details omitted.

Reading his notes, it appeared to Honey that Grindelwald believed the tale to be true. He had devoted his life to searching for the three gifts: the Elder wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Cloak of Invisibility. These three items were known as the Deathly Hallows. Its symbol, a triangle, with a circle inside, and a line in the middle, was peppered all over the book. It looked like a triangular eye, its pupil crossed with a vertical line. When he was raging war on the world during the nineteen forties, the Deathly Hallows was his symbol.

Honey closed the book and gently placed it in on her lap.

_Watch out! _

Honey stiffened as she felt a sudden chill brush her spine. Pressing the book to her chest as a shield, she glanced around. For a moment there she thought she'd heard someone say, "_Watch out!"_

"RUN!" Meredith shouted, grabbing Honey's right ankle and pulling. Honey, who was sitting on the stand above Meredith, fell backward and the back of her head hit the seat above her. Before she could react, Becky grabbed the collar of Honey's shirt and pulled. Honey cried out at the pain in her head and from being pulled in opposite directions. She glanced at Becky and then at Meredith, wondering what they were doing, and then turned her head and looked in front of her. That was when she saw it: a jet-black ball flying straight toward her.

_Something is going to fly at you, causing death...something is going to fly at you, causing death...something is going to fly at you, causing death..._

Trelawney's words echoed in the back of Honey's mind and she forced them out. She wasn't going to die. She refused! After all she'd endured she was _not _going to die. Not like this! NO! NO! NO! She wanted to live! She deserved to live!

Honey tried to move out of the way, but Meredith and Becky were pulling her with all their strength, effectively holding her in place. Thinking quickly, Honey kicked Meredith off her leg and pushed Becky away. "NO!" she shouted. She picked up the book and swung it like a bat. The Bludger made hard contact with the book, bounced off it, and headed back to where it had originated from. Honey's hands shook as she dropped the book. _I'm not dead._ She told herself.

She yelped when two pairs of arms surrounded her but relaxed a little bit when she registered that it was Becky and Meredith. She figured they'd been trying to save her by pulling her out of the Bludger's way, but instead they had ended up keeping her in its path. They'd meant well, but the direction of their escape route was uncoordinated.

"Oh my god!" Becky cried. She hugged Honey tightly, patting her back and head and causing Honey to wince at the tender spot there. "I was so scared for you."

"Are you okay?" Meredith asked, looking at Honey's face.

"I'm fine," Honey said, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

"Is everyone all right?"

The three witches turned their heads and stared at the group of people in canary yellow and black uniforms. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team, holding their broomsticks at their sides, stared at them in concern.

"YOU!" Meredith accused. "You could've killed her!" She released Honey, marched angrily up to a tall blond boy with an upturned nose, and punched him in the face.

Everyone gasped, some in disapproval and some in admiration. Meredith took out her wand and was about to hex the boy when Becky suddenly screamed. All eyes turned in her direction to see her whimpering as she stared at her bloody hand. Honey grabbed Becky's hand and Meredith rushed back to them.

"Did you cut yourself?" Honey asked.

Becky cupped Honey's face with her clean hand. "No. It's you."

While in the Hospital Wing, Honey begged Madam Pomfrey and everyone else not to tell any of the teachers or her parents about her head injury. Her parents would go mad and pull her out of school, and she didn't want to leave. She most definitely wanted to stay.

Lying on the bed, Honey pulled the white sheet over her head. The sound of footsteps could be heard stomping toward her. Honey turned her head in the direction of the sound and braced herself.

"I heard a student was injured," Honey heard Umbridge voice. "A Ravenclaw was hit with a Bludger? Cracked her skull?"

"No, she fell and hit her head on the stands," Madam Pomfrey replied. The heavy curtains rustled. "She's resting. You shouldn't disturb her."

"I merely want to see who the student is."

"I can give you her name."

"Of course you will."

Honey held her breath.

"Becky Knight," Honey heard Becky say.

"Oh...hem...hem...and how did you get yourself into such a condition?" Umbridge asked.

"I was clumsy and tripped on my own foot."

"Did you, now?"

"Why, yes. I fall and injure myself all the time."

Honey leaned into the hard mattress and fell asleep from the potion she had drunk.

_"Marvolo is putting curses on you._" She heard a voice whispering into her ear.

Honey opened her eyes. "What?"

Madam Pomfrey came to check on her. "Is something wrong?"

"I thought I heard something."

Honey touched the bandage that was wrapped around her head. It was wet. Her blood was seeping through the bandages and soaking the pillow.

"Drink this potion. It'll replenish you and stop the bleeding." Madam Pomfrey offered the cup to her.

Honey took the cup and drank the contents.

"You were asleep—you haven't moved an inch in the last four hours."

"My body does not move while I sleep." Honey said before falling back asleep.

Sometime later, Honey felt someone's gaze on her. She opened her eyes and found Evie standing at the foot of her bed.

"Sorry if I woke you," said Evie.

"Don't worry, you didn't," said Honey, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's quite early in the morning. I—I came to see how you're doing." Evie glanced at the bandages on Honey's head. "It looks painful."

"Not really."

Evie fiddled with her hands, shifting her feet, and glanced awkwardly at random things. "S-sorry I haven't been around much. It's—I—um..."

"What's the matter, Evie?"

Evie kept her head low, her long dark bangs hiding her eyes from Honey's view. "You…you sleepwalk. I mean…you don't walk. You do these _things_ when you sleep."

"What do I do?" Honey asked, eager to know.

"Um…It looks sorta like you're…you are…crawling but not." Evie finally admitted.

Honey didn't think she heard her right. "What was that?" she asked her to confirm.

"It's scary – not just the crawling or slithering thing you do. Your-your eyes. They change color."

"It's a medical condition I have. Sorry for bothering you. I honestly never meant to -"

"No! No! If it's a medical condition it can't be helped. Goodness, I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't apologize. I was the one who kept you awake in the night. No wonder you're always looking tired. I will do my best to not disturb you but please tell me whenever I do that." Honey told her.

"Will, um good luck with your recovery." Evie excused herself.

No long, a blond boy entered the Hospital Wing. Honey recognized him as the one Meredith punched. The large bruise on his cheek was swollen.

"Hi. I'm Zacharias Smith. I'm sorry about the, um—" he cleared his throat— "the Bludger almost hitting you."

"I accept your apology." Honey gave him a nod as if to dismiss him, but he just stood where he was.

"I feel very guilty and I want to help you."

Honey studied his face and body language. Sensing no sincerity from him, she was about to decline his offer when Evie returned with Meredith and Becky. Becky quickly grabbed Meredith's arm, holding her back.

"What are you doing here?" Meredith demanded, looking like she was about to attack Zacharias.

"If you must know, I came to apologize and see how Honey is doing."

"She's fine, no thanks to you. Now leave."

Zacharias ignored Meredith. "I want to offer you my services—walk you to class, carry your books—"

"Oh—you're offering to be her house-elf?" As soon as the words left Becky's lips Honey saw an evil glint in Meredith's eye.

"What do you say, Honey?" Meredith asked.

"No." She couldn't have him following her around the school. What if he found out about Marvolo?

Zacharias looked crestfallen but didn't give up. "I owe you a debt."

"And you paid it with your apology," Honey stated.

"That's not enough."

Seeing how stubborn he was, Honey asked her friends to leave them alone for a moment so they could talk.

"What do you want?" Honey asked him. "You're sorry. I understand, but I feel you have an ulterior motive. Tell me what it is."

Zacharias' face lost its expression of sympathy and kindness and switched to that of a calm professional. "I saw how you hit that Bludger. You have talent."

"What you saw wasn't talent. It was an accident, a natural reaction to a life-threatening situation."

"Be that as it may, you have a natural talent. You'd make a great Beater."

"I've never played."

Now that he had Honey's attention, Zacharias stepped closer. "I can teach you," he offered.

"I don't have the strength."

"I can give you strength training."

"Why would you do that?"

"You'd make an excellent addition to the team."

"Tryouts are over for Ravenclaw."

"Not for Hufflepuff."

Honey arched a brow. Was he proposing what she thought he was proposing?

"You want me on your team? As a Beater?"

"The way you handled that Bludger...you almost hit me. Did you know that?" A smile crossed his lips. "If we could hone your skills—"

"Give me time to think about it. I'll give you an answer soon, but not now."

Accepting Honey's consideration, Zacharias wished her well and left.

Madam Pomfrey came to remove the bandages and examine the gash. The stitches were doing their job, but there was a bit of blood seeping out at some corners. Madam Pomfrey put a clean, fresh bandage on and told Honey to come back at the end of the day so she could examine it again and make sure it was healing properly. She discharged Honey with an order to return to the hospital wing if she experienced any signs of fatigue or tiredness during class. Honey agreed.

She placed her black pointed hat on her head, neatly covering the bandage, being careful not to irritate the tender spot. Her friends met up with her as she crossed the threshold and began questioning her about Zacharias. Honey told them that he'd offered to give her some Quidditch lessons, but she hadn't agreed to it yet.

Although Evie had brought Honey's bag for class, Honey excused herself to go to her room and told her friends to meet her later in the Great Hall. She had to tell her grandpa where she'd been last night. He might visit his other portraits at the house and her parents would be suspicious and come to Hogwarts and find out where she was.

"Where have you been?" he demanded as soon as he saw her.

"I was spying on Dumbledore," Honey lied. She didn't want him to worry and wanted to please him.

"Oh, all right. So what have you learned?"

"Nothing, for now, but I've found out about his routine and I'll start from there."

"Good, good, very good. I always knew you had it in you," he said, as proud of her as if she had accomplished some great feat.

"Why do you want him dead? Please tell me, Grandpa. I need to know the reason."

Instead of ignoring her like he usually did, he looked as if he was actually considering answering.

"He was lovers with your great aunt, my sister. He discarded her after falling in love with his best friend, Gellert Grindelwald. My sister was heart was broken. She fell into a deep depression. Could no longer use her magic. She died during childbirth. The child was his."

Honey felt her blood to boil. The emotion of anger she felt was far more intense compared to anything she had ever known. It was an all-consuming sensation that cried out for blood to be spilled. Her rage was like a living being with its hands wrapped around her heart and throat, squeezing. The curious thing was she had felt this way before. It was familiar.

Now that her grandfather had revealed the truth to her, Honey gave him her word that she'd make Dumbledore pay for what he'd done to her family. If only he had told her about it from the beginning she wouldn't have wasted so much time. With her mind set on her headmaster's destruction, she wasn't paying attention and crashed into someone, falling to the stone floor. This just wasn't her week, was it? First the Bludger and now this!

"Are you okay?" someone asked.

"Fine," said Honey, taking the person's hand as he helped her up. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

The boy laughed. "Me, either."

Honey dusted herself off and looked at the boy she had bumped into. He was wearing a red and gold Gryffindor uniform and had a head of flaming-red hair and abundant freckles. Standing right next to him was another boy who looked identical to him. Honey wondered if she'd fallen and hit her head again since she appeared to be seeing double.

"I'm Fred, by the way," one of them said.

"I'm George," said the other.

"I'm Honey."

"Sweet name," they said in unison and laughed.

"I need to lie down," said Honey, feeling a wave of nausea wash over her. She was acquainted enough with this sensation to know what she had to do to temporarily relieve it. She needed something cold to hold onto to numb the burning sting on her skin. She leaned her back against the cold stone wall and slowly slid down until her bottom touched the cold floor.

"Are you all right?" the twins asked.

Honey touched the one on her left. "Are you real?"

"Yes."

She touched the other one. "Are you?"

"Yes."

"What about them?" She pointed to the crowd of students walking past them as if they hadn't noticed her on the floor.

Fred and George Weasley glanced at one another and then at the little blonde Ravenclaw sitting on the floor. There was no one in the corridor except the three of them. "No," they said.

"Oh. I must be hallucinating again," she stated in an eerily calm tone. "Please take me to Madam Pomfrey."

Both of them took her arms and helped her stand up. Her blue eyes gazed at the floor for a moment with a curious expression and then she turned to them. "If you please, can one of you carry me? I don't think I can walk in this state."

When Fred picked Honey up her hat accidentally fell off, revealing the bloody bandage underneath. George picked up the hat and then saw her head. "Fred, what did you do to her?" he said accusingly, digging into his pockets for something as they ran to the Hospital Wing.

"I fell," Honey answered, looking paler by the minute.

"Come on, George," said Fred. "We need to hurry before she bleeds to death."

"One minute. I think I can find something to—" George was cut off when Honey grabbed his collar, pulling him to her. Fred stopped running before he could fall and drop her at her sudden movement.

"Be careful! You almost stepped on him!"

"What? Who?" Fred and George looked down and saw a blue tie on the floor.

"That's mine," said Honey. George knelt to pick it up but Honey stopped him. "Leave it. I'll come back for it later."

Fred and George didn't argue. She needed medical attention as soon as possible. When they reached the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey took Honey from Fred's arms. There was no hesitation in her part. It was as if she had been waiting for Honey to come, or she had sized up the situation and knew what to do.

Fred and George stood outside the curtain, waiting patiently to find out if Honey was all right. It was obvious that she was injured already, and having bumped into Fred had caused her condition to worsen.

"Fred and George, was it?" they heard Honey say from behind the curtain after Madam Pomfrey left to gather supplies. The twins pulled the curtains aside and stuck their heads in. Honey lay on the bed, her hands resting at her sides. She gestured for them to come closer.

"Are there only the two of you here with me?"

"Yes," they said.

"Is there something on my hand?"

Fred and George looked at her hand. "No," they answered, curious as to why she was asking them such questions.

"Thank you," Honey said to the two disfigured Trolls who were standing beside her bed. They had flaming-red hair, large marble eyes, and lopsided lips. She glanced at the numerous snakes slithering over her body, the muddy bed she was lying on, and the large black beetles crawling on the floor. "For helping me know."

As Marvolo muttered the incantation, he felt movement on his leg. He looked down and saw William, who had somehow increased in size, slithering up his leg and coming to lie on his chest. He tried to kick the snake off him but was restricted by the chains that bound him. William reared up the anterior portion of his body, extending his neck and spreading his hood.

"Get off me, you foul creature!" Marvolo demanded.

"You hurt my mistress!" William hissed, showing his fangs and hissing loudly.

After Honey recovered from her sickness she went to see Marvolo. In the Chamber, she observed what William had done to him. The left side of his neck was red and swollen, and the flesh around the bite was purple. He was twitching and coughing, choking on his own spit. He was acting as if he was going to die. But Honey knew better. He was fine. Luckily for him, she milked William's venom every week. It made his venom less lethal, although it was still painful. Very painful.

"It seems you have many tricks. Nice little curse you put on me. I thought I was going mad for a while. Seeing things that weren't there...like back at St. Mungos." Honey leaned closer, their noses almost touching. Her voice was now hard, devoid of emotions. "All those years have taught me to be patient and observant. That was all I ever could do. Lay there and observe everyone." She closed her eyes as she reminisced, and then opened them. "I tried my best to be nice to you, but you won't behave, will you?"

She took out a vial from her pocket and removed the cork. She covered his nose, forcing his mouth open, and poured down the liquid. He struggled against his restraints but it was no use. Soon, he was unconscious.

As weeks went by, class flew by without further incident, which Honey fully enjoyed. One day she took out the cards and played with them for fun. She received a new card. It had twin jokers wearing red and white, standing back to back. They were laughing and juggling books with each other. The second card was Death. The third was a group of Thestrals tearing the flesh off a carcass. The last was a graveyard on a moonlit night with dark clouds slowly gliding over the tombstones.

Honey took the cards with her to Divination and asked Professor Trelawney to interpret them. One by one, Trelawney examined each of the cards carefully, from the new twin jokers to the graveyard. She wanted to wait for Trelawney to make her predictions.

"You're making new friends." Trelawney said, tapping the card with the twin jokers. "Energetic group...they're good for you."

Honey looked at the twins on the card. There was nothing that appeared threatening about them. They did seem like they were having fun. Twins...the realization came to Honey almost too late. Twins. Fred and George. They were twins just like on the card. They must be the new friends the card was predicting. Honey knew it could have been a coincidence about the card and the twins, but it was a bit strange.

"You're being watched." Trelawney pointed at Death.

"Is it threatening?" Honey asked.

"Hard to tell, his eyes aren't open."

"What do you mean? His eyes are—" Honey looked at the card and found that Death's eyes were indeed closed.

"Closed, yes, he's sleeping."

"But his eyes were open."

Trelawney stared at Honey through her large glasses. "What did they look like?"

"Hollowed, pale, and exhausted."

Trelawney turned to the card and looked it over. "He's tired. Sleeping. You're safe for now." Her gaze moved to the next card. "You've seen death? Whose?"

"My own. In the…six years ago. I witnessed my own death."

"How?"

"My reflection. I saw my reflection. While I died."

Trelawney was speechless for a moment and then moved to the next card, the graveyard on a moonlit night. It was as if she was uncomfortable talking to Honey about her experience.

"Your tombstone has carvings of hands on it." Trelawney pointed to the largest tombstone in the card. "Hands symbolize departure, leaving."

Honey looked at the card. There were seven tombstones in total—no. Honey looked again. There were eight tombstones; one was hidden among the others. How odd that she'd never noticed that last tomb and the hands before. Trelawney probably had no trouble seeing them because she had help from her glasses.

"These hands are clasped."

"Does it mean anything?"

Trelawney pointed at the tombstones. "See these here? The right hand has cuffs. It means it's a man's hand. His fingers overlap the other hand. The left hand is open. Clasped hands are symbols of farewell or last goodbye. The person who died first holds the other's hand, guiding the other to beyond."

"Is someone waiting for me? In...in the afterlife?" asked Honey.

Trelawney looked downed at the card. Suddenly she jumped off her chair and took a step back as if something had startled her. "Where did you find these cards?" she demanded.

"I found them." said Honey, amused by professor's nervous behavior.

"Where?"

"What startled you? You jumped back suddenly. Why?" Honey asked her in return.

"He gave you the cards," Trelawney whispered in a manner as if she was afraid someone would hear her. She pointed toward the table with the cards. "He wanted you to have them."

"Who?"

"_Him_."

Honey looked at the table. "You said I'm being watched. Is he watching us? Is he watching us right now?" She went to the table and picked up the card and found that Death's eyes were closed. As students entered the room, Honey put the cards away.

A few weeks later, Honey said goodnight to her friends after she made sure they were doing well with their homework. Afterward, she had to meet with Zacharias for her Quidditch lessons. In the beginning Meredith had questioned Zacharias' abilities, but she quit complaining when Honey assured her that they were only flying lessons and nothing more.

During the early stage of Honey's Quidditch training she had met with many difficulties, but as weeks passed she was getting better and better. The muscles on her arms flexed as her grip tightened around the broom handle when she flew. It amazed Honey that she had muscles beneath her skin and that they were hard and lean. Before, all she'd felt was skin and bones. It was all thanks to the strict diet of protein and vegetables that Zacharias had made her follow. She supposed her previous routine hadn't shown the same results because her Healers had given her the simplest one they had. They were afraid she was too fragile to handle vigorous activities. Zacharias was different. He didn't know of her earlier condition and pushed her to her limits.

"Heads up!" Zacharias said as he threw the Quaffle to her.

Honey caught it and threw it back to him. They were in mid-air, on their brooms. Since Honey didn't have a broom, Zacharias let her borrow one from the shed where extra ones were stored. She was also wearing a uniform and special gear that had been left by past players. There was an odd stain on them, but she didn't mind it very much.

The next time Zacharias threw the Quaffle he didn't give her a warning. Honey reached her hands out to catch it, but a miscalculation caused it to slip past her fingers. Without another thought she grabbed her broom handle and dived downward, following it. As Honey increased her speed, she felt the pressure of the cold wind battling against her. The goggles over her eyes protected her vision and allowed her to see where the Quaffle was. She scooped it up and threw it to Zacharias. Directing the broom handle upward, she attempted to fly back to her spot.

"_Let me see you..."_

There it was again. That voice. It was the same one she'd heard when she was on the stands. It was familiar, so familiar, yet she still couldn't place it.

"_Just once..."_

Honey glanced left and right. _Where was that voice coming from?_

_"Your face..."_

Honey's blurry surroundings began to clear. She was outdoors, in front of a manor and a well-manicured lawn. She turned around and saw a village at the bottom of the hill she was standing on. She turned back and looked at the manor. It was large compared to the buildings below, with lights beaming through the windows. Her heart raced as she clenched the wand in her hand, and she walked toward the back entrance.


	4. Chapter 4

Late one night, while sitting in her bed, Honey took out the book of magical tales and read it some more. As she read the notes scratched on the old parchment, she felt her bed began to shake. She dropped the book on her lap as she became lightheaded; her right hand was tingling. She was seeing everything in twos. Looking down at the book, she thought that the Deathly Hallows' symbol had turned into eyes. They were rotating and staring at her. She reached out to pick up the book, but stopped.

"Grandpa, do you know about the Deathly Hallows?" Honey asked, without looking at him. She was busy having a staring contest with the triangular eyes.

"Who doesn't? According to legend, 'he who possesses the three artifacts will become the Master of Death'. It's a silly tale, only fools believe it. I once heard a rumor about Grindelwald having the Elder wand in his possession." He laughed.

Honey moved her right hand in circles over the book and watched in fascination as the triangular eyes follow it.

"The Elder wand is invincible. If he truly had it, he would not have been defeated by Dumbledore."

"Honey, you are young and have not known the matters of love. Trust me when I say that when you meet that special someone, your heart, your mind, and your body will weaken even by the sight of that person."

"You mean Dumbledore's victory was inedible because Grindelwald cared for him. Loved him? It had nothing to do with his dueling skills and the Elder wand?"

"That duel had nothing to do with the Elder wand. Many men have lost their lives chasing the legend, but that's all it is a legend."

"Grindelwald believes they are real and I am convinced of their existence." She said, looking at the dark birthmark on the back of her hand. She turned her hand around, making her birthmark face downward toward the book. All of the printed and written words began to move. They fused together to create a large form of the Deathy Hallows symbol. The circular portion was glowing.

"Honey," he stressed her name, ready to lecture her on the difference between dreams and reality.

Honey moved her hand away from the book and it returned to normal. "None of the books I have read have the brother's real name in them like this one does – only naming them first, second, and third brother. I have seen these names before. These men exist. If they exist that means that the Deathly Hallows exist as well. Grindelwald even wrote that the third brother, Ignotus Peverell, was buried in Godric's Hollow."

"Grindelwald spent a summer in Godric's Hollow with his great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot. It was where he met Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore's family lived in Godric's Hollow." She had researched enough about him to know that.

Honey's grandfather looked at her thoughtfully as he considered something. "You're planning on chasing the legend."

She picked up the book and cradled it in her arm. "It's not a legend. It's history."

When morning arrived, Honey went straight to the Library to search for any type of information that could be related to the Deathly Hallows. She was distracted by voices from the other side of the large shelves. She put everything away and followed the sounds. It was Saturday, when students normally slept in. Today might be an exception since it was the first Hogsmeade weekend. Honey found Fred and George huddling in a corner with their backs to her. She remembered the card with the twin jokers. _Energetic group...they're good for you. _

"Hello," said Honey.

Fred and George turned their heads to look at her.

"Hello," they said and fully turned around. They were behaving suspiciously, both with their hands behind their backs. It prompted Honey to wonder what they were doing in the potions section.

"You're up early. Studying for your O.W.L.s?" said George.

"Doing homework?" asked Fred.

Although they were identical, Honey could tell which brother was which. George had a mole on the side of his neck but Fred didn't. She'd seen it when she grabbed George's collar, preventing him from stepping on William. She saw that Fred didn't have one when he was carrying her to the Hospital Wing.

"No, I'm finished with my homework for the rest of the year," she replied.

"What?" said Fred.

"You're finished already?" George asked in astonishment.

"I rarely sleep. I spend most of those hours doing my homework and double-checking it." She told them.

"Should we introduce her to Hermione? Something tells me they'd get along great," Fred whispered to George.

George shook his head in disagreement. "We'll have two of them on our backs, nagging at us."

"True," Fred agreed, and he turned back to Honey. "That only leaves studying for the exams, then," he said in a normal tone of voice.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to O.W.L.s," said George.

"Don't exhaust yourself," they warned.

For a split second they looked at her with sympathy. It was the same look she'd seen so many times from her Healers. She knew she should not be upset at them for giving her that look, but it brought back the painful memory of when she was an invalid. That was going to change. She was not going to allow herself to become like that again. Never.

"Fifth year is a nightmare of a year," George said happily. "If you care about exam results, anyway."

"George and I managed to keep our spirits up through ours," Fred said reminiscently.

Honey stared at the brothers. It was as if they shared a single brain. They were always in tune with each other, finishing each other's thoughts and sentences.

"How so?"

Fred and George grinned, gesturing for her to come to them. Honey closed the distance between them. The boys guided her to stand against the wall, their tall figures blocking anyone from seeing her.

George gave her a parchment with the words _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes _written on it along with some other writing.

"We are inventors," he said.

"Creators of all things necessary," said Fred, and they began taking curious-looking items out of their pockets.

"We're going to use your last years here to do a bit of market research," said George, "find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from a joke shop, carefully evaluate the results of our research, then produce products to fit the demand."

"See here, these are Extendable Ears," said Fred, holding a flesh-coloured pieces of string. "You put this end in your ear—"

"—and put the other end, say, under a door, and you can hear the conversation as clearly as if you're a foot away," finished George.

Honey touched the string to inspect it. This might be exactly what she needed to gather information on her Headmaster. Dumbledore was far more powerful than she. There was no way she could murder him as her grandpa wished, but what she could do was ruin his life.

"How much?"

Fred and George were all too happy to sell her their Extendable Ears. They showed her more of their inventions and explained their uses.

"They're amazing, your inventions and your dreams. I have never seen anything like it," said Honey, eyes filled with admiration.

"If only we could make them work properly," said Fred.

"The Nosebleed Nougat will make you bleed till you shrivel up, but we haven't got an antidote yet," confessed George, which explained why they were there. "And thes Fainting Fancies. We can't seem to get the dosage right."

"We also can't see how you could eat the antidote when you're unconscious. Unless you've got a friend with you," laughed Fred.

"You can use cayenne to stop the bleeding," Honey told them. Her Healers had often suggested she eat cayenne pepper to stop her internal bleeding. "Cayenne pepper reacts with the body to equalize blood pressure. For the Fainting Fancies, you can put a label on the wrapper to tell buyers to eat it at the middle, where the two colors meet. When they eat at the middle there is a better chance of them waking up since they're eating the antidote, too."

"As for the dosage," she continued, "you have to be very careful since your products are aimed at students. Everyone reacts differently, especially young children. They have a lesser ability to metabolize potions than healthy adults and are likely to overdose and develop bad side effects. Healers calculate dosage by weight for infants and children. You should consider that factor."

"That's brilliant!" Fred and George exclaimed.

"How do you know all this?" asked George.

"I-I was very sickly when I was younger and always had healers around." She didn't tell them the truth about her hospitalization because she didn't want them to treat her differently.

Fred and George told her about other complications they were having with their inventions and asked for her advice. They moved to sit at a table, and Fred took out some parchments and a quill to write their problems and her suggestions. While they were busy with their discussion, Lee Jordon, a black boy with dreadlocks, arrived and joined them. He was as open and friendly as the twins and also had a hand in helping them create their products. Honey found that they were doing great with their inventions so far; only a few minor details needed to be addressed. She was happy she was able to help them using her experience and knowledge.

Sometime later, a student came in to announce that it was time to line up for Hogsmeade. Honey said goodbye to the twins, who were had other things to do, and went to the Entrance Hall to meet her other friends. Meredith and Becky stood side by side while Honey and Evie stood behind them. They were waiting in line for a teacher to inspect their permission slips.

"Hermione Granger came up to me," Becky whispered to Meredith.

"Me too," said Meredith.

Honey's ears perked, having heard Fred and George mention the name earlier. Although, she reasoned, it might not be the same Hermione. She kept her eyes on something else and her ears on the two girls in front of her.

"Are you going?" asked Becky.

"Of course. They might finally us tell what happened to Cedric."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I do."

Becky glanced at Honey and Evie, then back at Meredith. "Should we invite Honey and Evie?"

"No," Meredith said harshly. "If Umbridge catches us I don't want them to get in trouble, too."

Hogsmeade was a colorful little Wizarding village of thatched cottages and shops. Honey had passed through it before but hadn't had the time to fully enjoy it. She thought it was very lovely. The first shop Honey was taken to was Spintwitches. It was a shop that sold sporting goods. Her friends wanted her to look at new Quidditch equipment because they knew the things she was using were a little too big for her. Meredith, who was very knowledgeable about Quidditch, led them through the shop, explaining what Honey needed and why. The standard equipment and uniform consisted of a cape, fingerless gloves, shin and arm guards, and goggles. Players in different positions may have different equipment; for example, Beaters carried bats, and Keepers wore protective headgear.

After making her purchase, Honey stepped out of the shop and into the road. Her gaze found a small boy who was leaning against a tree, his hands over his mouth. A slight turn of his head revealed to her that he was blowing on a mouth organ. Honey stared at the boy as his body suddenly became smaller, thinner, and paler. The end of his long brown scarf billowed in the cold wind. As she closed the distance between them, the world around her became still, the sky darkening and becoming cloudy.

* * *

><p><em>"OH, DEAR GOD!" Mrs. Cole screamed when she saw the boy hanging from the tree.<em>

_John's eyes were bulging out as was his tongue. His face was blue from the black scarf that was twisted tightly around his neck. His lifeless body swung back and forth from a thick branch, tangled with the other end of the scarf._

_Mrs. Cole looked around and spotted the other children playing nearby. "What happened?" she demanded. The children stopped playing and looked at her. "Well?" she shouted. "Tell me what happened!" The children blinked and glanced at each other, confused as to what she meant. Mrs. Cole huffed and pointed at John. "What happened?" she repeated._

_The children looked where she was pointing and spotted John. _

_"John!" one shouted. "What are you doing up there?"_

_"Is he playing some sort of new game?" asked another._

_"Looks fun. Can I play, too?"_

_"NO, YOU CAN NOT!" screamed Mrs. Cole. She was angry yet frightened. She tried to look away from the awful sight of the boy hanging there, but her eyes kept wandering back to him of their own accord. The children were too young to understand the concept of death and had not been taught about the subject. She knew this would surely traumatize them and cause them to misbehave when the inspector came that month to check on them. Selfishly, for her own benefit, she was glad they did not understand what they were seeing—like with that dead rabbit the other day. _

_Taking deep breaths, she asked, "What was John doing up there?"_

_"He wanted that snake."_

_All heads turned to the new voice and they saw Tom emerge from behind the bushes, holding something in one hand and pointing to the tree with the other. Mrs. Cole peered up into the leaves and after a short while she saw the scaly back of a snake. She gasped and took a step back._

_"He wanted to see if it could really speak," Tom said matter-of-factly._

_"What nonsense," mumbled Mrs. Cole, and she ordered the children to go back inside._

_"Mrs. Cole?"_

_The elder woman looked down to find Tom staring up at her while the other children did as they were told and marched toward the stone building._

_"What do you want?"_

_"He looks rather ill," Tom said innocently. "Are you going to call the doctor?"_

_"Yes...yes, I will," Mrs. Cole answered in a tight voice._

_Tom looked down for a moment and was moving off to join the others when Mrs. Cole suddenly stopped him._

_"Tom!" Hearing their name, a number of boys turned their head to Mrs. Cole. "Riddle!" she clarified, "Come here!"_

_Mrs. Cole leaned close to Tom's ear to make sure no one could eavesdrop on them. "I-I...need to fetch the...the doctor. Stay here and make sure no one disturbs John." She needed to find someone to help get John down and dispose of his body. She had no desire to touch a corpse, even if it was recent, and she had to destroy all records of his ever being under her care, as well. Having a child die would attract attention from the authorities, and she did not want that._

_Tom nodded and held up John's mouth organ._

_"It's yours," Mrs. Cole said immediately when she saw it, using the item as a bribe._

_Tom put the mouth organ in his pocket and asked, "Is he going to stay with Red at the hospital?"_

_Mrs. Cole blinked and then remembered she had told the children the rabbit hanging from the rafters was ill. She'd told them she had to take it to the hospital for recovery and had thrown it into the first trash bin she came across after leaving the dining hall. _

_"Yes," she said. She looked left and right; seeing no one, she quickly strode away, leaving Tom alone with John._

_Tom turned to John. "You'll keep Red company for me, won't you?" he asked as he stepped closer to him._

_"Of course you will," he answered for him, pretending to take his silence as a yes. "Remember, Red likes it when you break the carrots into little pieces for him—and lettuce, you must feed him lettuce." The wind blew John back and forth. "And don't feed him any porridge. He'll get a stomachache," he said as he recalled Red staying in the corner of the wardrobe and refusing to eat anything, no matter how hard he shoved the lettuce in his face. He'd later found that the porridge he had given him had caused him to become ill. He never fed it to him again. "I hope you can remember all that. I know how forgetful you are."_

* * *

><p>"Honey, what are you looking at?"<p>

Honey blinked a few times and turned to Evie, tearing her eyes away from the boy hanging from the tree. The dark clouds had cleared and the sun was shining bright once again. There was still wind, but it wasn't as cold as before.

"That boy," Honey replied, nodding to the boy playing the mouth organ. She went to the boy and knelt in front of him. "Hi there, little one. Do you want to know how to sound better?"

The boy looked at her with wide eyes and nodded. Honey unwrap the scarf from around the boy's neck and told him to blow. The boy smiled, causing his round cheeks to grow even rosier as he was satisfied by the improved sound.

"Don't wrap it so tight," she said, handing the scarf back to him. "It makes it hard for you to breath." She patted the boy's head and returned to Evie.

"Meredith and Becky had to go somewhere. Said they'll be back soon," said Evie.

Honey nodded, her gaze wandering back to the boy.

After the trip to Hogsmeade was over, Evie excused herself to run an errand. Honey was on her way to her dormitory to put her bags away when something caught her eye in the common room. There was an outline of an unknown object floating through. Her eyes followed the unknown object as it disappeared near a boy who was leaning against the wall. She turned away from the boy and her gaze met that of another girl, who was sitting on the couch. The girl appeared to be in her fourth year. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty blonde hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes. Honey had seen the girl around the school before but had never spoken to her. She broke eye contact with the girl and was about to walk up the stairs when the girl spoke.

"You can see them?"

Now that Honey was a little closer, she saw that the girl's wand was behind her left ear and that she wore a necklace with Butterbeer corks. "What was that?"

"A Wrackspurt. They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy," the girl said in a dreamy voice.

Honey had never heard of such a creature but she supposed it was listed in a book she had yet to read. She glanced at the boy. He was blinking and shaking his head.

"You can see them." The girl was smiling at Honey with excitement.

"A little," admitted Honey.

The girl nodded. "They're invisible. I can't see them but I can feel them. You can see them. You have special eyes."

"Honey!"

Honey turned from the girl to see Meredith and Becky. She'd been engrossed with her conversation with the fourth year and hadn't noticed that her friends had arrived.

"Would you come here for a moment?" said Meredith.

Honey excused herself and went to her friends. Meredith led her away from the other Ravenclaws, with Becky following close behind them.

"Honey, do you know who that girl is?" whispered Meredith.

Now that Meredith mentioned it, Honey remembered that she hadn't properly introduced herself to the girl. "No. I forgot to ask her name."

"That's Loony Lovegood," supplied Becky.

"Loony?" repeated Honey.

Becky opened and closed her mouth. "Well—her name is Luna—but everyone calls her Loony because she's mental."

"What do you mean?" asked Honey.

"She's bizarre," said Meredith.

"Invents odd creatures to get attention," added Becky. "Claims Nar-something or whatever are stealing her things."

"She invents creatures?" Honey looked at Luna and then at the boy who had caught her attention earlier. "Have you two ever heard of a Wrackspurt?"

Becky and Meredith looked at each other and then at Honey. "No," they said in unison.

"They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy," said Honey.

"That sounds like something Luna would say," stated Meredith. "She told you, didn't she? Don't listen to her she's not right in the head."

"I think she's nice," said Honey. "Does she know that everyone calls her Loony?"

Becoming uncomfortable, Meredith and Becky offered to help Honey carry her bags to her room. Before following them, Honey went to Luna to tell her she wanted to talk to her some more and they agreed to meet later. After they were finished with putting her things away Honey and her friends headed to the Great Hall to sit. Honey sensed something coming their way and pulled her friends' arms back. Meredith and Becky yelped at the sudden pull and saw ink pellets hit the spot where they'd just been standing. The two looked up and saw that Peeves, the poltergeist, was floating above them with a peashooter. They turned back to Honey to thank her but she moved in front of them to confront Peeves.

"Leave them alone!"

Peeves, who was floating on his stomach, gave an arrogant snort and looked down at who was speaking to him. He stared at Honey in shock with his mouth agape.

"You!" he shouted, pointing at her in alarm, and he vanished, dropping his peashooter on the ground.

"What's with him?" wondered Meredith.

"He seemed afraid of you," Becky said to Honey.

"Why would he be?" said Honey.

Meredith and Becky exchanged looks but didn't say anything to Honey. It didn't matter as long as Peeves left them alone. Reaching the Great Hall, they found that it was crowded and decided to find another place. They went to the Library and pushed three desks together to face each other. Since everyone had different schedules they had to have their tutoring sessions whenever they could. Honey had to tutor Evie separate most of the time because her schedule was the least flexible.

Umbridge had recently passed Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four disbanding organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs. Organizations were defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Even if Evie were here Honey didn't think Umbridge would mind, seeing as the elder witch had assured Honey that this rule did not apply to her. The woman was constantly asking Honey if she was enjoying Hogwarts. Honey's answer would be mixed between finding it pleasant or saying she was annoyed by certain restrictions. This would be followed by a written access pass from Umbridge to anything Honey wanted. Just one complaint from Honey to her parents and they would pull her out of school, and the Ministry could say farewell to all of her family's donations.

Meredith and Becky need help with their History of Magic essay. They took out their essays about the Giant Wars that was due soon and gave them to Honey to look over. Both were half written and the girls wanted to get Honey's opinion before continuing. Honey took the essays and read them.

_The Giant Wars began in the eighteen hundreds. Long ago there were least a hundred different tribes spread around the world. They generally inhabit remote mountain areas in tribes, with a leader called a Gurg. Gurgs are usually the largest of the giants in each particular tribe. One becomes a Gurg by violently overthrowing, killing, the previous Gurg. They are savages, constantly fighting to prove which tribe is superior. Their rivalries came to a climax when one particular giant, Morholt, thought he was the strongest and killed three Gurgs, taking over their tribes. He traveled to other neighboring tribes to challenge their leaders._

"You're doing well so far," said Honey, "but you forgot to mention that the reason Morholt attacked the other three tribes because his was dying out. Their food supplies were dwindling and their birth rate was low. It's very important that you state the true reasons that motivated his campaign. You can't write that his motivation was his arrogance."

"If their supplies were low, couldn't he just ask for the other tribes' help?" asked Becky.

"He couldn't have," said Meredith. "Giants are savages. They are incapable of understanding reason or the pleas of another. They only care for themselves."

"Morholt united the three tribes as one. The area he inhabited was peaceful for five years before word spread to the other tribes about his victories and flourishing tribe. They feared his prowess and journeyed to his territory to challenge him." While Honey was speaking she took out the necessary books to show her friends how she'd come by this knowledge. She flipped the books open to certain pages and placed them side by side in front of her friends. She took out articles that contained written statements from wizards and a very few Muggles who had accidentally stumbled upon the giants in their travels. Then she took out a large map of the world and spread it on the table.

"Morholt's tribe was here. During the years of his leadership there were no reports or complaints. One can assume that it was peaceful." Honey pointed the tip of her wand over the map and a red line appeared as she navigated it. "A wizard reported that he spotted giant footprints headed toward this direction. Look at the time and date." She pointed at the map, to where the first battle had occurred. "The first war broke out here. The date is close to the time that the wizard saw the footprints. The second battle was here. A Muggle reported seeing giants here. His memories were erased, but his statement was recorded." She pointed to more articles, books, and the map, explaining the connection. "These battles were concentrated in this particular area." When she was done, the red lines connected to form the shape of a spiral. In the center of the spiral was Morholt's tribe.

Meredith and Becky blinked as they absorbed the information.

"So the book was wrong." said Becky.

"He never went to the other tribes. They went to him," said Meredith. "How did you figure this out?"

"I read...a lot."

* * *

><p>The weather had not improved. The sky was a deep, thundery grey. Holding an umbrella, Honey followed Zacharias as he led her though the stands on the Quidditch pitch. Zacharias told her that they were not going to practice that day but were there to observe the Gryffindor Quidditch team practicing. He had charmed their cloaks to keep them warm and dry while they watched. He handed her a pair of goggles which he had also charmed to prevent the rain from fogging them.<p>

"The Snitch is right there." Honey pointed at it after watching the team for an hour.

"You can see it?" Zacharias asked in astonishment. "I can barely see anything in this weather." He stood up with his umbrella and squinting his eyes to see.

"I can see it."

"Come here," said Zacharias, leading her toward the Hufflepuff changing rooms. He opened the door with his key and motioned her inside. He shook off his cloak and sighed in content at the warmth and light of the changing rooms. Digging in the spot where Honey's Quidditch uniform was hidden, he handed it to her.

"You said we weren't practicing today."

"I changed my mind," said Zacharias. He went into one of the private stalls and changed his clothes.

Honey shrugged. She went to one of the stalls and changed as well.

On their way out they passed the Gryffindors' changing room. Honey heard a male's voice shouting, "_Ouch!" _Dismissing it, she continued back to the pitch with Zacharias.

Honey and Zacharias mounted their booms and rose into the air, rain beating on their bodies. He had unleashed the Snitch and told her to find it. She managed to spot it within seconds.

"Try and catch it."

Honey pointed her broomstick in the direction of the Snitch. As her speed increased, her vision began to blur. Suddenly she was outdoors standing in front of a manor with a well-manicured lawn. She turned around and saw a village at the bottom of the hill she was standing on. She turned back and looked at the manor. It was large compared to the buildings below, with lights beaming through the windows. Her heart raced as she clenched the wand in her hand, and she walked toward the back entrance.

She took out her wand and charmed the door to open. Her heart raced as she entered the building. It was dark. The only light available was from the tip of her wand. She made her way through the rooms until she reached the upper levels. While in the hall she heard movements. She quickly turned her wand toward the source and an elderly man's face appeared. He was holding a rifle, pointing it at her.

"Who are you?" the man demanded.

The lights in the hall came on, allowing Honey to see the man. He gasped and slowly lowered his rifle, then pulled it back up. He continued to point it at Honey with trembling hands.

"What's happening?" came another male voice from behind her.

"Honey! Look out!"

Honey shook her head. She was back on her broomstick above the Quidditch pitch and was heading toward the stands. She pulled her broomstick handle up and circled the pitch before zooming back up to where Zacharias was.

"Are you all right?" asked Zacharias.

Honey didn't answer him; her eyes were dazed and her face was pale.

"Honey," Zacharias said louder, pulling her from her trance.

Honey blinked a few times and looked at him. "Yes?"

"Are you all right?" Zacharias repeated.

Honey shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Sorry I made you fly in this weather. I just wanted to see if you could do it, catch the Snitch," Zacharias explained.

"I want to go back to the castle," she said.

"All right, come on."

After Honey changed back to her regular robes Zacharias escorted her back to the castle. Honey remained quiet through the journey. When they reached the corridors, Zacharias apologized again for making her fly in such weather. She told him it was fine, that she was just a little shaken from the cold. Zacharias excused himself, leaving Honey alone in the corridors. Fifth years were allowed to be out in the corridors until nine o'clock. The hour wasn't close to nine and Honey believed she had plenty of time to herself before curfew. She took a detour and made a visit to Marvolo.

"Wha...what..di...did you give me?" he demanded to know, drowsy with unfocused eyes.

Honey took a small case from her pocket. She opened it and brought out a syringe with a needle.

"Something that'll keep you from misbehaving." she told him. She stabbed the needle in his arm and administered his weekly dosage.

"I hate yoooou." he told her as his vision became blurred.

His hatred for her grew every day._ S_ooner or later he would escape. When he does, he swore he'd make her pay and this time it'd be quick.


	5. Chapter 5

Honey had landed herself in the Hospital Wing and it was her own fault. Hearing sobs, she found her mother crying on her father's shoulder beside her bed. When her parents saw that she had regain consciousness they rushed to her side and encase her in a protective hold.

"I have exhausted myself." Honey said before either of them could ask her questions.

She had walked in to her Defence Against the Dark Arts class earlier that day and felt a zap of some kind. She took it as a sign of fatigue. Calmly, she told Unbridge that she was not feeling well and got permission to go to the hospital wing.

Honey didn't want to deceive her parents. Her health and wellbeing was something they needed to know about. "I'm beyond excited just being here. I made loads of friends. There are countless activities to participate in and my body isn't used to it. I was aware of all the signs, but disregard them. I didn't want it to end."

She had attempted to do far too much at once and it was taking a toll on her body. On top of schoolwork and tutoring her friends, she was helping Fred and George with their inventions, taking flying lessons, and plotting to murder her headmaster. The latter was her first priority, but she hadn't figure out how to do it. Ruining his life would be the best option but she also didn't know how to do that either.

"We understand." said her mother. "You have endured hardships and bravely overcame them. There is nothing that can stand in your way. Just remember to pace yourself. Know when to rest and when to act."

"Maybe you need a helper?" suggested her father, "There is no shame in asking for assistance."

"How about Lumi? She can help you with anything you need." added her mother.

Lumi was the family house elf who raised her. She was trustworthy and would respect Honey's privacy.

"I think that's a brilliant idea." said Honey. "But will the school allow it?"

"I'll speak to Dumbledore and Umbridge in person." said her father. "I think they will agree to it."

"Don't worry about anything but yourself and what you must do." said her mother.

After Madam Pomfrey assured her parents that she was fine, they kissed her goodbye, promised to send Lumi to her, and went to see the headmaster and teacher. Honey leaned comfortably into the bed and rested. She needed to regain her strength. Her body was currently weak, but it was not going to stop her from what she was planning to do. She will avenge her great-aunt. What Dumbledore had done was far too despicable to forgive. The problem was he was virtually untouchable. She needed to find his weaknesses. It was when she thought of Gellert Grindelwald's books and the Deathly Hallows. They were only a small piece of the puzzle that was Dumbledore. She needed more information.

Honey drank a bottle of strengthening potion and rested until she was well enough to leave the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had also given her a salve that healed her poor right hand. She had continued to use it until it was swollen and aching, despite knowing she shouldn't, and was supposed to use her left. She thanked Madam Pomfrey for taking care of her and providing dinner, before walking to her last remaining class that day. There was only a few minutes left in Divination but she thought she could have at least made an appearance. She sat down with Meredith and Becky, who were happy to see her.

"How are you feeling?" asked Meredith.

"I'm perfectly fine."

After the class was dismissed, Trelawney asked Honey to stay behind. Meredith and Becky said they'll meet her in the common room and left. With everyone gone, Trelawney motioned for her to sit across from her desk.

"Do you still have them? The cards?" Trelawney nervously asked.

"Yes," answered Honey. She took the cards, tied with a rubber band, out of her bag and placed them on the surface of the desk.

"Can you look at my for...for..."

"Your fortune?" Honey guessed her meaning.

"One card! Only One!"

Honey removed the rubber band and slowly shuffled the cards. With clasped hands, Trelawney closed her eyes and mumbled something under her breath. Honey took one out and flipped it over. The card showed an image of Hogwarts' castle.

Trelawney opened her eyes and inhaled sharply in surprise, her eyes gleamed with tears. "Yes! Yes!"

"What does it mean?" asked Honey.

"It means my home remains in Hogwarts!"

"What exactly did you asked the cards?"

"I asked if I will be staying in Hogwarts."

Rumors have been flying among the students that Umbridge was going to sack Trelawney from her teaching position any day now. It meant she was not going to be living in Hogwarts anymore. This could be a perfect opportunity for Honey to see if the cards told the truth. She feared the cards but didn't fully place her trust on them. She didn't understand the true meaning of the ones she had, there could be numerous interpretations. After wishing her teacher well, Honey walked toward the direction of Ravenclaw Tower, but was intercepted by Umbridge who had a smile on her face. Honey smiled back at the older woman to be polite.

"Good evening, Miss. Sheridan." said Umbridge.

"Good evening to you too." Honey returned the greeting.

"Will you come with me to my office, please?"

Meredith once told her that a Dementor once kissed Umbridge and it died. Although Honey doubted the rumor was true, it was something to consider. The horrible rumors about Umbridge being pure evil and tortured students in her office might have been exaggerated. Teachers were not allowed to beat students like the old days anymore. If anyone raised a hand at Honey, there would be serious repercussions.

"Of course."

As Honey entered Umbridge's office something told her that the woman had a fondness for kittens. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each one residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large technicolor kitten wearing a different bow around its neck.

Umbridge motioned for Honey to sit down on a straight-backed chair. She took her seat and kept her expression naturally neutral as she waited for what Umbridge had to say.

"It has come to my attention that you are having difficulties?"

"I was not feeling well." Honey said simply.

"My, my, what a terrible thing to hear. Your parents are very concern about you."

Honey understood the reason why Umbridge wanted to speak to her. Her parents probably had a few words with the teacher beside the subject of her having her personal house elf before returning home.

"How is school life? I can imagine it would take some time for you to adjust to such a different setting."

"I am enjoying it."

"I noticed that you are tutoring your poor, unfortunate housemates. It is quite generous of you, but it must be difficult to deal with those simpletons. I know _appropriate_ students who will be delighted to meet you."

"Are they in need of tutoring?" Honey asked as she believed was her teacher's intentions.

Umbridge blinked back in surprised. "Well...they can do with some improvement with their marks."

Honey thought over Umbrige's request. She supposed she could tutor a few additional people. It wouldn't hurt. They could meet in the Library with her and her friends and she could help them all at once. "I'd love to meet them."

"Tomorrow is Saturday. You can meet them tomorrow."

After their conversation was over Honey went to Ravenclaw Towers. She knocked on the wood and the eagle bronze knocker spoke.

"In the ordinary it lies, do not be deceived by your ears and eyes."

She swore the knocker had a mind of its own and teased her when she was alone. "Are you warning me?"

The door swung opened and Honey took that as a yes. She walked inside and turned back to look at the closed door. Something is definitely strange about that knocker.

"Are you all right?" Evie asked. "I heard what happened."

Honey turned her neck back to see Evie standing in front of her.

"I'm fine. Thank you." said Honey as she walked to their dorm room.

Evie followed close behind her. "Meredith and Becky are worried about you too."

"Where are they?"

"Don't know. They have been disappearing a lot lately."

"I suppose Luna is gone too." Honey said thoughtfully as they entered their dorm room.

Evie went to sit on her bed and took off her shoes and socks. "What do you mean?"

"I and Luna have been trying to meet up and have a conversation but it keeps getting rescheduled. I noticed that she disappears the same time as Meredith and Becky. If they are gone so is she."

"Now that you mention it. I have noticed some of the usual people aren't in the common room on certain nights. You don't suppose it's connected, do you?"

Honey shrugged. "Whatever it is it's affecting their homework. By the way are you still coming to the Library tomorrow?"

"Sorry I can't. My little Harvey doesn't look well. I'm going to take it to Professor Sprout to have a look at it."

Harvey was the Chinese Chomping Cabbage she had been growing for Herbology class.

Both girls changed into their bed clothes and prepared themselves for bed. Evie was sound asleep when Honey securely closed the curtains on her four-poster bed and took out her grandpa's portrait to speak to him. She was not surprised he already knew about her visit to the hospital wing.

"This is my fault." He confessed, "I should not have pressured you. You don't have to kill Dumbledore right away. Your health is much more important."

"Did you try to pursue my mother to kill Dumbledore too? When she was in Hogwarts?" Honey asked him. She would not put it pass him to do something like that. It was suspicious for her mother to attend Hogswarts instead of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, located in France, the country her mother grew up in before moving.

"No, I have not." He denied. "Why are you asking me this?"

"The things she has said to me, certain terms, and her encouraging tone. It's as if she knows something. A secret."

"I have never told her anything about Dumbledore." He confirmed.

"Why didn't you? Why did you choose me instead of her?"

"Because you are perfect for the task."

"How?"

"One reason, Ariana Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore's younger sister. She's dead. Murdered."

"By who?"

"No one knows for certain. I heard there was a three-way duel between Dumbledore, his brothers, and Grindelwald. She was there and got accidently struck with a curse."

"I resemble her? That's why you choose me?"

"You bare no physically resemble to her, but you are similar in so many ways. Ariana was attacked by Muggle boys when she was six. It traumatized her to the point that her magic became unstable, uncontrollable. She was locked away in her house for years until her death. Little people knew she even existed. Just like you."

"Where were their parents when all this was happening?"

"Her father sought revenge against those boys and was sentenced to Azkaban for life for the crime. She accidently killed her own mother with a magical explosion a few years later. Dumbledore became her guardian."

Honey was taken back the tragedy that the Dumbledore's family had to face. It made her think of what Marvolo had done to her years ago. He was magnificently ruthless. A sadistic. She was afraid of him. Her mine had suppressed her memories of him and locked her voice in order to cope with what happened. She was no longer afraid of him after she had register that he was not as intimidating as he had seemed when she was younger. In truth, he was insecure and pathetic.

"Don't let this story soften you. Remember, Dumbledore brought it upon himself. He's evil. He deserves everything he's going to receive."

Honey brought her blanket over her shoulders and closed her eyes as she reconsidered her mission. She must know more about Ariana's death before she goes through with anything.

The next day Meredith and Becky could not make it to the Library as well. Honey was alone when Umbridge introduced her to two Slytherin girls. One was name Pansy Parkinson, a prefect by the looks of the badge on the front of her robes, and Millicent Bulstrode.

"I'm certain you'll get along greatly." said Umbridge, sending the Slytherin girls a sharp look before she left.

Honey thought this was a tutoring session but something in the girls' demeanor and lack of studying material told her it was not. She waited for one of them to say something.

"Umbridge told us you're from abroad and home schooled - in desperate need of social education." said Pansy.

With a desire to know what Umbridge's true intentions for sending these Slytherin girls to her was, Honey decided to go along with whatever Pansy was ordered by her teacher to do.

"And how do we do that?" asked Honey.

"I'm going to tell you who you should be friends with and who you shouldn't. Come with me." Pansy finished by gesturing Honey and Millicent to follow her.

Now Honey understood the true meaning of Umbridge's speech from last night was. She didn't approve of Honey's friends and wanted her to make new ones.

"First things first," said Pansy as she led Honey through the Library, Millicent walked close behind them, "don't associate with any blood traitors."

"Blood traitors?"

"Muggle-lovers." explained Pansy.

Personally, Honey had no problem with Muggles but apparently Pansy and Millicent did.

"The biggest Muggle-lovers are the Weasley family. Stay away from them. Don't even look at them."

Too late for that. Honey had already formed a friend and partnership with Fred and George. She was even helping them search for a good location for their shop they were planning on opening someday.

"Stay away from Harry Potter. He's with _them_." Pansy said.

Honey didn't know who "them" were, but she had heard of Harry Potter. He was the boy-who-lived, the object of Becky's affection, but had never met him in person.

"Don't even look at Granger, the Mudblood. She brews Love Potions to seduce boys. Isn't that pathetic?"

_Mudblood_..._You're a Mudblood_! The words echoed in Honey's ears. _You're a disgusting Mudblood!_

_I'm not a Mudblood I'm pure. _Honey told the voice in her head.

Honey snapped out of the trance she was in and returned her attention to Pansy. They had left the Library and entered the corridor.

"Muggle, Muggle, half-blood, Muggle, half-blood," Pansy said as she pointed at random people near them, who looked offended. "That one I don't know - name or blood. Don't know, don't know, don't know..." Something caught her attention and she stopped walking so sudden that it caused Millicent to crash into her. A rain of laughter spilled from students who had witnessed.

"Watch it you clumsy troll!" screeched Pansy.

Honey held her arms out to pull both girls up. As soon as Pansy was on her feet, she patted her robes down and sent a murderous glare at all those who were laughing. "What are you looking at?!"

The other students continued to laugh and began to walk away from them.

"Draco!" shouted Pansy as she practically skipped to a tall boy with blond hair.

Draco was slender with sleek white-blond hair, grey eyes, a pale complexion and sharp, pointed features. He was standing between to larger boys with dark hair. All of them were from Slytherin house.

"Are you all right?" Honey asked Millicent.

"Fine, thanks." said Millicent. "Don't bother with her anymore. Doesn't notice anyone when Malfoy is around."

Honey turned to Pansy who was looking at Draco with a dreamy gleam in her eyes.

"Thinks herself in love with him." said Millicent and then she snapped her mouth shut when Pansy came back to them with a pinched expression on her face.

"Come here." Pansy grabbed Honey's arm and pulled her toward the direction of the Slytherin boys.

Millicent didn't make a sound as she went with them.

Pansy released Honey's arm and placed her in front of a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes.

"Honey, this is Blaise Zabini." Pansy introduced them. "Blaise, Honey is new to Hogwarts. Be a dear and show her around will you?" she shoved Honey toward him none too gently and grabbed Draco's arm. Draco turned his head to Honey. Their gaze connected and he winked at her before turning around with a hint of a smirk on his lips. Pansy dragged him away while two Slytherin boys and Millicent followed them.

"Hello," said Blaise with an amused grin.

"Um…hi." said Honey, a bit confused by what had occurred.

"You look better up close." said Blaise. "Pansy was right to take him away."

Honey didn't understand what he meant about Pansy but thanked him for the compliment.

"So you're new?"

"Yes,"

"From abroad? Where?"

"Asia."

"I couldn't tell from your accent. What brought you to Hogwarts?"

"My mother was a student."

"What's your surname? I didn't catch it?"

Honey realized right away that he was attempting to causally find out her blood status.

"Sheridan."

Blaise had a thoughtful look on his face and appeared as if he was accepting. "Haven't explored all of Hogwarts, have you?"

"Never had the time."

"Will you allow me to be your guide?" he said offering his arm to her.

Honey took his arm and let him led the way.

"Is there a particular place you want to see?"

"The Black Lake."

When they reached the lake, Honey released Blaise's arm and walked onto the shore. She stopped and watched in curiosity as the waves mercilessly clawed its invisible hand onto the sand and dragged it down beneath its depth. The setting before her began to melt away as darkness encased her in its coldness. All she could hear was deafening sound of loud waves crashed on to the rocks.

"Do you like it here?" Blaise asked Honey.

Honey turned away from the waves and smiled at Blaise. "Yes, it brings back fond, old memories."

* * *

><p><em>"I think we should go back!" The girl shouted over the loud crash of the waves against the rocks, covering her pained ears.<em>

_Tom turned her gaze from the violent scene before them and turned to the girl on his left. A shiny object caught his eyes. There on Amy's tiny finger was a silver thimble. "Are you scared?" Tom asked. His tone was low and taunting, but oddly enough the girl could hear him clearly through the sound of the raging waves._

_"Y-yes." The girl cowered._

_"IT'S SO DEEP!" shouted the boy standing on Tom's right. He glanced at the bottom of the cliff and swallowed. Tom watched as he dropped his yo-yo over the edge and smiled in amusement as it spun back up in his hand._

_"I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD STAND SO CLOSE—WHAT IF WE FALL?" the girl shouted._

_"We won't," Tom stated firmly, and then his eyes wandered to a patch of grass nearby. "Let's go over there." he pointed. The other two followed without complaint, both secretly glad they didn't have to stand at the edge of the cliff any longer. Tom watched as Dennis and Amy huddled close, pressing their little bodies together to try to ignite some warmth between them and protected them from the chilling wind. _

_Tom gathered some small rocks in his hands and put them in his pocket when the others weren't looking._

_"Aren't you cold?" Amy asked him._

_Tom had his hands in his pockets, feeling the rocks, but he wasn't shivering as much as they were. "No," he answered. Turning back to the direction of the cliff, he said, "I like it here."_

_Dennis and Amy stared at Tom. He was a very strange boy and seemed lonely. They'd invited him to play with them because they felt sorry for him. It was fun at first, even though he was a bit bossy, but then he suggested they go to the cliff because he wanted to see the ocean. The two agreed; Mrs. Cole strictly forbade them to go anywhere near the cliffs, but their curiosity got the best of them. Dennis and Amy thought it was exciting, breaking the rules and having an adventure—an exploring game, as Tom called it._

_"Would you like to wear my coat?" Tom offered._

_"Really?" Amy asked._

_"Thanks," Dennis said, bringing his shaking hands out of his coat to grab the coat before Amy could._

_Tom paused and looked down. He thought it would be fun if they could discover a Cave of Wonder like in the story a teacher had once read to them. Suddenly, the rocks beneath his feet were moving. The next thing they knew, the three children found themselves surrounded by darkness. The ground they were sitting on had collapsed and they were trapped in a dark pit._

_"My arm hurts," Amy said. "Who on me? Get off!" _

_Dennis groaned and rolled off her._

_"You're still alive?" Tom asked curiously._

_"Y-yes," Amy and Dennis replied hesitantly. They were shaken by the fall, but something about Tom's odd tone when he asked the question terrified them even more. It sounded almost as if he was disappointed by their survival._

_"H-how about you?" Dennis asked cautiously._

_"There's not a scratch on me," Tom told them._

_Amy and Dennis gasped. After such a fall they could feel bruises forming and there were cuts all over their bodies. Why wasn't Tom hurt? Was he lying, or was it really true? They knew he was an unusual person from all the strange things that happened around him. But they were curious about his oddness._

_"Ahhhh!" Amy screamed when she felt someone grab her arm._

_"Stop screaming. It's me," Tom told her and it caused Amy to scream even louder. Unable to take any more screaming, Tom grabbed Amy's shoulders and shook her violently. "Shut it!" he shouted in irritation. Amy immediately closed her mouth and whimpered._

_Though Dennis couldn't see them, he could imagine what was transpiring between the two. "W-what do we do now, Tom?" he asked. He was frightened of the other boy but knew he was the one with his sense most intact and was the one most likely to find a way out for them._

_"Want to continue our game?" Tom asked them with chilling excitement. He took their silence as a yes and grabbed both of their arms, dragging them with him. As they ventured further into the cave, Dennis and Amy began to struggle in a vain attempt to escape Tom's hold. But he had an iron grip on them and showed no desire to free them._

_"Please, Tom!" Amy begged._

_"Let us go!" Dennis shouted._

_"No. I still want to play," Tom said as he continued to drag them._

* * *

><p>After she had enough of watching the waves, Honey thanked Blaise and excused herself. He walked her back to Hogwarts and they parted ways. In her dorm room, she took out a parchment and quill. She owl a letter to Dumbledore and informed him that she had to leave Hogwarts to see her personal healers for an emergency appointment. The truth was, she planned to travel to Godric's Hollow on the Knight Bus to investigate Ignotus Peverell's grave. The owl returned with a letter from Dumbledore summoning her to his office.<p>

Honey was expecting this reaction from Dumbledore. She wanted to see him face to face to test a theory. She squared her shoulders and bravely made her way to the headmaster's office. It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it was the Sorting Hat.

Honey went to the hat to look at it. She had not been traditionally sorted using the Sorting Hat. Her father had requested that she be put in Ravenclaw house. His reasons were that the Sorting Hat might not have a house to put since her personality was not fully developed. The years she spent isolated had damaged her mentally. The headmaster actually agreed to allow her to skip the Sorting Hat.

While Honey was busy looking at the Hat the office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber. Straightening her spine, she walked back around the desk and took a seat. She kept her gaze on him but avoided his eyes, and waited for him to take his seat. Having knowledge of his Occlumency and Legilimency abilities from her grandpa, Honey kept her mind occupied with memories of herself while she was still hospitalized. It was not hard, having spent so long in that room.

"It has come to my attention that you have requested to leave school grounds." began Dumbledore.

"Yes," confirmed Honey.

"Is the pressure of school too much for you?"

Honey could already see where his thoughts were going. "No! I… I…it's my hand. I have overused it and I want to have a healer take a look at it. I asked for a few days off encase it's something serious."

"Madame Pomfrey could have a look at that." suggested Dumbledore.

"I'm certain she is an excellent healer, but I would feel more comfortable with the ones who are familiar with my condition."

"All right. If that is what you want." said Dumbledore, "I give you my permission to leave the school grounds."

"I will return next week." said Honey.

Right before she stood up he stopped her and said, "If you are in need of anything, know that I am here for you."

"Thank you, sir."

Honey went to Ravenclaw Tower and left a note for Evie, explaining that she would be gone and to tell the others about their tutoring sessions were on hold until she returned. She gathered a few essential items and departed from the school on the Express train. She went into a compartment, sat down on the seat, and waited for her traveling companion to show himself. The door to the compartment opened. A tall figure stepped inside and took a seat across from her. She invited him to Godric's Hollow because he was curious about the Potters and Voldemort. She was going to search for information about the Deathly Hallows. She had left Marvolo inside of the Chamber of Secrets with Lumi, her house elf, with strict orders to administer proper dosage as scheduled.

When they arrived, her companion went to rest while she explored the village on her own. Godric's Hollow was a Wizarding village in the West Country of England, with the addition of a few Muggle families. It is a small community, which centers on a village square with only a church, a post office, a pub, and a few retail shops. The residential streets are lined with quaint cottages, which are called Church Lane that led up to the church.

Honey was thrilled to be there as it was home to many intriguing characters. Bathilda Bagshot was the author of many history books Honey enjoyed reading, among her favorite was A History of Magic. She had so many subjects she wanted to discussion with the worldly woman. Meeting the magical historian would prove mentally stimulating. The Dumbledore family once lived there as well. She was certain she would discover personal information about them. This was the final resting place of the Potters as well as where Voldemort met his downfall.

As Honey surveyed the village, her eyes were drawn to an obelisk covered in names. When she got closer it transformed into a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms. Without having to think she knew that they were the Potters. Celebrated as heroes, the Wizarding community erected this statue to honor them.

Honey turned from the statue and went toward a graveyard she had spotted earlier. She wanted to see the Potter's graves, along with Ignotus Peverell. Noticing a familiar name, she stopped in front of a black headstone and read the name. Kendra Dumbledore, beneath the name listed dates of birth and death, and another name Ariana Dumbledore. Honey felt sympathetic toward the poor mother and daughter for having a short life.

Looking further down, she read a quotation on the stone: _Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._ Having no idea what the quote meant, Honey walked away from the tombstone. She found the Potter's white marble headstone, which were two rows behind Kendra and Ariana's. The quote beneath the dates read: _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._

It took a while for Honey to find Ignotus Peverell's grave. The headstone was so old, and withered that the writing was hard to make out. The Deathly Hallow's symbol on the top helped her identified it. She slowly waved her hand over the stone and tiny hairs on the back of her hand prickling, signaling strong protective charms were in place. She made a mental note of the location of the graves so that she could return to them later.

Seeing that it was late in the evening, Honey decided that she would pay a visit to Bathilda Bagshot's home tomorrow. For now, she must find a place to stay for the rest of her trip. When Honey turned from the graveyard, her feet began to move. Not long, she was standing in front of the ruins of a cottage. The right side of the top floor had been blown apart. The home that the Potters were murdered in was another monument to them.

Honey touched the gate and a sign appeared from the ground. Written in gold letters it said: _On this spot, on this night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family._

Around it were scratches of notes and initials left by other visitors. Honey made sure no one was around before she opened the gates and went inside of the cottage. The charm used to preserve it was excellent. It was looked as it could tumble down any moment, but the charm had ensured that it would stand even through the harshest weather.

Calmly, Honey walked to the front door. She took out her wand and waved it at the doorknob. Since she was seventeen, she was able to use her magic outside of school. Slowly the door swung open. She stepped forward, but paused when she heard the cries of an infant coming from above. A corner of her lips rose in knowing that they were here. Muttering an incantation, she created an invisible force field around the property. It would prevent any inhabitants of the home from leaving.

As Honey entered the cottage, frantic footsteps could be heard running up a flight of stairs.

_"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go!"_

In the living room, Honey was confronted by a wizard. He looked about twenty, tall, thin, with hazel eyes, and untidy black hair. He was pointing his wand at her. He was shaking, panting with fear. Honey snickered at  
>him.<p>

_"Run! I'll hold him off -"_ The man shouted over his shoulder.

_"As much as I would like to duel you properly, I must decline. There is someone more significant I must see." _As these words left her mouth, Honey was struck by how masculine she sounded, but she didn't have time to think too much on it. Her mind was occupied with one thing. Getting upstairs. With a flicker of her wrist the man's wand was gone, but that didn't stop the man from attacking her. The man threw himself onto her with his full weight and tackled her to the ground.

Honey was caught off guard by the man's actions that she fell over and lost her grip on her wand. She struggled with the man, pushing him off as she made her way up the stairs. She summoned her wand and shouted the Killing curse, ending the man's life once and for all. His body went stiff and cooled instantly. She walked over him and walked to a door. Stopping in front of it, she pointed her wand at it.

"No! I don't want to see this!" Honey shouted, forcing herself out of the vision.

The cottage returned to its silent and abandon state. Somehow during her trance she had walked upstairs without realizing it. Honey turned away from the door in a fright and ran downstairs. She went to a corner, sank to the floor, and hugged her knees together. She could not stay in the cottage any longer but something was weighing her down, preventing her from moving.

"It's about time one of you arrived."

Startled that she was not alone, Honey jumped to her feet and pointed her wand at a large figure emerging from the shadows. He stepped into the moonlight shining through the windows and lowered his hood. His face was whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils.

"What happened to you?" Honey breathed out.

The man circled her, his eyes moving up and down. "I should ask you the same. Quite a new form you acquired."

Something inside of Honey shut off and she felt lightheaded.

"I knew you'd be curious to know about that dreadful night. I placed spells here to draw you out. To tell me when one of you came." He held his arms to her.

Honey went into his arms without hesitation and together they Apparated out of the cottage.


	6. Chapter 6

When Honey opened her eyes she clutched her chest as she gasped for air and struggled to breathe. She turned to the creature holding her and stared at his reptilian, humanoid face. The man vanished as the darkness transformed into a heavily decorated room that was partially lighted. There were three people lying lifeless on the carpet floor, two men and a woman. They were dead by the end of her wand. She had murdered them.

Honey laughed at what she had done. A feeling of satisfaction consumed her. She walked to the corpse of the young man, who was closed to her and looked down at his face. The gratification she felt before was gone. All that was left was regret. Regret that she didn't torture him more before ending his worthless existence.

Honey whispered a spell and levitated each of them up. One-by-one, she placed them neatly at the dinner table, in their seats. With the exception of the look of terror on their faces, one would think they were having a normal evening together. She would have loved to take credit for their demise but no. She couldn't allow him to live or let anyone know of their connection. It was too humiliating. They had to be silenced. All of them.

"I see…" the Voldemort said as he reappeared and their surrounding melted away. "You are the one I created with I killed _him_. The ring. My ring."

Honey disappeared into the shadows and Tom Riddle emerged. Eternally seventeen, Tom was a young and handsome incarnation of himself. Voldemort had hidden the ring within the compartment he rode in on the Hogwarts Express train when he had returned to Hogwarts after graduating. He had planned to ask Professor Dippet whether he could remain at Hogwarts as a teacher. He was very attached to the school and wanted to stay as long as he could but Dippet rejected his application. Said he was too young, but promised the position to him after a few more years. He had returned to claim the position years later, but at the time Dumbledore had become Headmaster and refused him. The old fool was never fond of him.

"Tell me of your journey, my precious ring. How have you come to be as you are?"

Their surroundings transformed into the compartment on the Hogwarts Express train. Voldemort watched as Tom spoke to a small girl, Melissa, who had a slight French accent.

"Watch your step." said Tom.

Melissa looked up to see a teenage boy with pale skin, and dark hair. He was so tall. She had to crane her neck back to see his face. She straightened herself and looked at the boy, who was blocking her path. He was standing so close it made her skin itch with discomfort.

"Excuse me. I need to find a compartment." She told him.

"I have a compartment. You can sit with me." said the boy.

Something inside of her urged her to stay away from him. "No thank you."

"Come sit with me. The others are completely full." Not waiting for her to respond, the boy opened the compartment door and gesture her in.

Believing him when he claimed that this was the only available carriage; she went inside and sat down on the bench. She kept her trunk close by encase she needed something from it.

"My name is Tom by the way. What's yours?"

"Melissa."

"Honey bee," said Tom.

"Excuse me?"

"Melissa means Melissa bee. In Greek mythology, Melissa was a nymph. She nursed Zeus with Melissa until he was old enough to challenge his father, Cronus, and claim his rightful place as the king of the gods."

"How about your name? Is it related to mythology too?"

"No," he said with obvious distain, "Tom is a very _common_ name. Not unique like yours." He  
>finished with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.<p>

Melissa nervously smiled back politely. Since he appeared to dislike his name, she decided to change the subject.

"What's Hogwarts like?" Melissa looked down nervously. "I've never been there before. It seems scary."

"There's no need to be frighten. Hogwarts is a safe and magical place."

"That's what my arrière-grand-mère says - I mean, my great grandma. She said I will be safe. The guardian will protect me."

Tom's eyebrows rose with curiosity. "Guardian? What about a guardian?"

"My grandma knows everything and everything she says is true."

"Does she know what the guardian looks like?"

"She said I'll know the guardian when I see her."

"Does she know where the guardian lives?"

"She lives beneath Hogwarts' dungeons."

Tom stood up from his chair and grabbed Melissa's shoulders so fast she gasped in surprise. His face was twisted with ugly rage.

"You're hurting me." Melissa whimpered.

Tom blinked as his expression turned neutral. He slowly released her, but remained in her personal space.

"Sorry…I...lost myself for a moment there." he said in a gentle tone.

Speechless by his sudden aggressive behavior Melissa merely nodded.

"The train has stop. You should get on your way."

Listening to the conversation, it sounded to Voldemort that Melissa knew about the Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk. There could be a possibility that she was related to Slytherin. As Voldemort would have done, Tom produced his ring and secretly placed it in the girl's belongings. This allowed him leave the train and followed her into the castle.

* * *

><p>"I know you're in there, Honey Bee." said Tom as he knocked on the on the door of the bathroom stall she was currently hiding inside.<p>

Melissa bit her tongue, refusing to answer him. She hugged her knees closer to her chest, praying that he would leave and that she would not fall into the toilet she was sitting on.

"Come out."

After waiting a few seconds she finally relented and slowly stood up and unlocked the door. When she opened the door, Tom gently took her hand and led her out. He motioned to a spot on the floor and they sat down next to each other.

"Tell me what happened."

"The other girls don't like me. I don't know why. I've been nice to everyone, but no one wants to be my friend."

"I'm your friend." interjected Tom with hurt in his words.

"I know you are...I...I'm sorry if what I said hurt you."

Tom lowered his head and turned away from her. "Are you not happy with me as your friend?"

"I am!" she said quickly.

"Then why do you need other people?"

"I...su-supose I don't."

"It's true. You don't." insisted Tom. "I'm all that you'll ever need."

Melissa was so young. So impressionable. She fell for his every word.

* * *

><p>Melissa pulled at the bars of the cage she was imprisoned within. "Let me out!"<p>

Tom knelt before the girl to closer observe her. "No."

"Why? We're friends." claimed Melissa, still believing in him.

"Oh, we are! I have grown quite fond of you." Tom jumped to his feet, spreading his arms out he spun in a circle, and laughed hysterically, his robes bellowing against the cold wind. "Do you know where you are? This is Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber. Only his descendants—his chosen—are allowed inside! I have bestowed a great honor upon you."

The Melissa's gaze left Tom for a moment to take in her surroundings. "It's filthy and smells."

"Shut up! How dare you insult Slytherin—you little insect!"

Melissa moved to the back corner of the cage. She hugged her knees to her chest and glared at Tom through her untamed hair. "This isn't Slytherin's Chamber."

"What do you know?"

"I know that he would never allow a Mudblood like you in there."

Tom narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Are you questioning my heritage? My purity?" he pointed his wand at her. "I'll have you know I am a Half-blood!"

"My grandma says a Half-blood is a Mudblood! You have Mudblood manners! You're a disgusting Mudblood! I suppose you can never forget your Mudblood habits! You Mudblood! MUDBLOOD!"

Panting with rage Tom opened the door to the cage. "I'm not a Mudblood I'm pure! I'll show you what Muggles do to brats like you!"

As soon as Tom was close enough, Melissa kicked him in the shins and ran out of the cage. Her small body easily snuck passed him. Tom came out of the cage and went after her. Under his breath, Tom hissed a jinx at her. He heard her scream as she tripped and fell face forward. She recovered quickly and rolled herself to her back.

Tom covered her ears and the sound of millions of hisses attacked his eardrums.

"BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD!" they chanted. "BLOOD! BLOOD!"

Melissa was about to get up but fell back down again. Something made her scream louder. Tom ignored the hisses and went to her. She was lying on the stone floor, beneath a pit of snakes that was not there before. Tom grinned at the sight.

Tom really meant it when he said he was fond of Melissa, which was why he was going to kill her here. As soon as she died, his body would be restored and he could live as a human once again and not this ghost-like state.

Hearing moment behind him, Tom smiled widely. The basilisk was arriving.

"You can feast on her corpse once I'm through with her." Tom told the creature.

The basilisk stopped in front of Melissa and simply stared at her.

"Master…" the giant serpent hissed.

Melissa pulled herself off the ground, the snakes that had surrounded her slithered away.

"Hello there. You're as my grandmother said you were." She said as she petted the basilisk's head. The basilisk leaning to her touching, wanting more.

"What are you doing?" Tom hissed to the basilisk.

Melissa laughed. "Parseltongue won't work for you anymore, Mudblood. Now that I'm here."

Tom stepped away in see that the basilisk had instantly submitted to Melissa.

"You may be a descendent of Slytherin but so am I." Melissa held out her palm for him to see a small cut on her pale skin. Blood was seeping through the wound. "And unlike you I'm not tainted by dirty blood."

Voldemort felt the insult striking his very core. He knew one day that his filthy Muggle father's blood would be his downfall. Damn his mother for this disgrace, a flaw on his genetic!

"NO! NO!" his younger self screamed in denial. He shook his head, refusing to listen.

Melissa stepped closer to him. "Can't handle the truth, _Mudblood_?"

"IT'S NOT TRUE!" Tom and Voldemort screamed at the same time.

Voldemort pulled himself out of Honey's memories, panting in rage. Honey was sleeping on the bed he had placed her on when they arrived in Malfoy Manor. He was sitting on a chair beside her bed, using his Legilimency abilities to see into her mind. What he had witnesses had been disturbing, but he must go back inside to find out what had happened to his Horcrux.

Somehow Melissa had regained her strength and overpowered Tom. She trapped him inside of the cage she had occupied earlier. She pointed her wand at him.

"Let's make a deal!" shouted Tom.

"What sort?" Melissa curiously asked him.

"You want Dumbledore dead, so do I. How about we work together?" He suggested.

"How do you know about that?"

"I overheard what your grandpa told you. The reason why he sent you to Hogwarts. Dumbledore is a wicked man for what he did to your aunt...to me."

"What do you have against Dumbledore?"

"He took advantage of me."

"That's a serious accusation." she said. She was clearly shocked but remained neutral.

"It's true. It happened when I was eleven. He forced himself on me. It continued while I was a student under his care. Told me he'd kill me if I told anyone. I despise him. I want him dead as bad as you."

Melissa was stunned by his confession but remained skeptical.

Voldemort was satisfied to see that his younger self was resourceful. Dumbledore had never touched him, but he had used that deception to distract her from destroying him. He had to gain her sympathy and manipulate her.

"Think about it Melissa. Together, we can seek revenge on Dumbledore."

Melissa was contemplating his offer, but appeared as if she was not convinced. "How do I know you're not lying again?"

"I'm not." He was lying through his teeth. "How do you think I became this way? He cursed me when I ended our relationship. He trapped me here. In a world where time is frozen. I'm dead, yet not. I can't grow old. I can't love. I can't exist. All because of _him_."

"Why did you hurt me?"

Tom schooled his face to appear as pitiable as possible. "I didn't want to hurt you. You were my dear friend. I care for you but I had to. It was the only way I could regain my body. Please, Honey Bee, I love you."

Tom had over done it. Even Voldemort could see that. Why did he have to use _that_ word? A word he despised.

When Voldemort returned his focus to the memory, Melissa had grown into a beautiful young lady of sixteen, while his Horcrux remained the same. Because he never finished draining Melissa's life and magic, Tom was still trapped in a ghost-like form of a teenager. It took years, but Tom had reclaimed her trust and together they were plotting Dumbledore's demise. Secretly, he was plotting Melissa's death as well. He admired her boldness, but there was no way they were going to succeed in murdering Dumbledore. Tom was humoring her, buying his time.

"Is something wrong?" Tom asked Melissa one night, in seeing her troubled expression.

Bare footed, Melissa was wearing a white nightdress that reached her ankles. Her initials, MH, were stitched in gold on the silk fabric. She walked passed her four-poster bed next to the closed door of the dorm room and went to the window, overlooking the school grounds.

"My papa sent me an owl this morning." Melissa huffed out, throwing her long dark brown hair behind her back. Her French accent had disappeared over the years she had spent in Hogwarts. She spoke perfect English.

"What was it about?"

"He wants me to get married."

"WHAT?!" Tom could not withhold the angry in his tone.

"Some git proposed for my hand and papa agreed." She stomped her foot. "He didn't even ask for my opinion! I don't even know who he is!"

"You can't allow this! What about our plans? Dumbledore's death?" How was he supposed to kill her if she got married? Her husband would get in his way. She could not marry anyone. She was supposed to die.

"Papa said it's over. He still wants him dead but thinks I can't do it. Says I'm too soft." It was true, Melissa couldn't harm a fly. Not because she lacked the skill, but because she was as her papa had said _too soft_.

"You have to go to him - the man in person- and refuse his proposal." It was the worst advice Tom could have given her.

Melissa went to confront Benjamin Sheridan, to reject his proposal. But to Tom's disappointment, she fell madly in love with him at first sight. Dumbledore was nothing to her now and neither was he. Tom didn't understand the infatuation Melissa had developed for Benjamin. Sure he was a pureblood, handsome, wealthy, and athletic – but his mother was a total whore. She had married six husbands and none of her sons bare any resemblances to one another. The only good Tom saw in Benjamin's family was that the mother had exquisite taste. She had only selected wealthy pureblood men from different parts of the global to marry.

For a year, Benjamin courted Melissa and strengthening their relationship. Tom's control over Melissa slowly dissolved as the pureblood wizard replaced him, filled her heart. She trusted Tom partially, but was not as devoted to him as she once had been. No. All of her devotion was transferred to Benjamin. It disgusted him.

After Melissa graduated from Hogwarts, she married Benjamin a month later and moved to one of his home in Asia. They lived in a grand palace like house he had inherited from one of his fathers. Tom was forced to follow them, since Melissa still had possession of the ring. He was unable to take it back from her since she had discovered it and wore it around her neck like an amulet. Three months into her marriage, she announced her pregnancy.

All was not lost though. Tom had planned to take Melissa unborn child's life to regain his.

Tom was present as Melissa was going into labor with her daughter. Healers were running rampaged as she screamed from the pain. She was floating in and out of conscious as they screamed at her to push.

Tom went to Melissa to encourage her. "Come on, Melissa. Be strong. Your daughter needs you." His hopes were pinned on the unborn. It had to live long enough for him to cast his spell.

"She's stuck!" He heard the healer said to another healer. "We need to perform a Caesarean!"

"No!" Tom shouted. He had gone to all of Melissa's appointments with her and knew of the risk of performing a Caesarean section. Both mother and daughter could die. The newborn could not die yet. Not naturally on its needed it. He waited nine months for this child. He was not about to let it ruin his plans.

"Melissa tell them no!" he ordered her, but she was too heavily medicated to understand him at this point.

"Where's my baby?" Melissa weakly called from the bed. "Where is she?" her arms stretched out, reaching blindly for her. The moment Tom her touched her hand he felt a sharp pain in the back of his spine and all was dark.

Voldemort watched as his younger self disappeared. His cold gaze remained on the glowing black stone hanging from a chain around Melissa's neck. The stone stopped glowing right before the angry cries of the newborn silenced the room. The healers cleaned the newborn, wrapped her in a clean blanket, and place her in her mother's arms.

"Don't cry. Mommy is right here." said Melissa.

Benjamin entered the white room with the majority of their family members. He hugged his wife and daughter tightly, rendered speechless with happiness.

"She's beautiful." said Melissa's father.

Voldemort walked to the doting mother and inspected the infant. He grinned in amusement. He exited the memory and was brought back to the bedroom. Honey was awake, staring at his face without blinking.

"Honey Bee, do you know who I am?" he asked her.

"No. Who are you?"

"I am you in a different form. I have metamorphosed into as you see now and you...you have altered yourself into perfection."

"What are you talking about?" Honey looked at him thoughtfully.

"We are Tom Riddle."

Honey shook her head, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "How can that be? You are you and I am me."

"You are one of my Horcruxes. I created you from parts of me when I killed my father. I placed you in the Hogwarts Express to wait for a naïve prey to devour and you chose a worthy one. She was the heir of Slytherin. A pureblood."

"Slytherin, The Chamber of Secrets…" as Honey said these words her mind raced with reasons and explanations. There was so much that it made her head throbbed.

"Rest little one. We will speak more of this later when you are better."

Honey sunk her back on to the bed and closed her eyes. Voldemort exited the room, shutting the door behind him. His Horcrux was reborn in to the _true_ Heir of Slytherin. A pureblood. He didn't know how but Honey was Tom.

There was powerful magic surrounding Melissa when she gave birth and he had to discover the reason. Voldemort Apparate to the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow. He felt a presence there and went to investigate who had come this late in the night. When he arrived, Melissa was sitting on the preserved couch as if she was waiting for him. She was no longer that juvenile from Tom's memories, before him stood a regal witch with confidence and grace. She was not surprised when he revealed himself and sat on the chair opposite her. The witch's lack of a reaction to his appearance aroused his curiosity.

"I'm looking for my daughter. Have you seen her?" Melissa asked without exchanging pleasantries.

"What makes you think I have?" he asked her in return. His eyes scanned her from head to toe. She wore a dark blue dress underneath a black cloak. The neckline of her dress was too high for him to see if she was wearing his ring. He could not sense its presence either, but it could be that she was not wearing it tonight.

"I know for a fact that she _was_ here. Currently, she isn't but you are."

"Interesting logic," He was not about to reveal anything to her until he found out what she knew. She seemed to sense that.

Melissa slowly nodded. "I am allowing Honey to remain under your care because I trust that she is safe with you. I believe you are the only person with the ability to cure her of the mental ailment she is suffering from. My daughter's wellbeing and life is important to me. If I sense that she is in any type of danger I will personally escort her from Malfoy Manor." finished with her speech, she stood up and disapparate.

Voldemort remained where he was, contemplating a few things. Apparently, Melissa knew a lot more than he had expected. It made him wonder if she knew that Honey was Tom all along. It was inconvenient that he could not see into the witch's mind unlike Tom. He suddenly realized that he could see into her mind using Honey. With his mind made up, he Apparate back to Malfoy Manor. Honey was still asleep when he approached the bed. There was little movement, even her breathing was silent. Her eyes opened as he grew closer. They were the bluest he had ever seen.

Voldemort's surroundings twirled as he entered her mind. He was taken to a windowless bedroom. The ceiling was similar to the enchanted one in Hogwarts. There was a clear blue sky and white fluffy clouds floating. The walls were painted light blue. They were enchanted with images of colorful butterflies, birds, and flowers, gently flying from one wall to another. It was one of the most depressing things he had ever seen.

In the center of the room was a small bed where Honey laid under a heavy sheet of white blankets. Her face had scars. She was deathly paler and thinner with sunken, lifeless eyes. Her long blonde hair surrounded her head and shoulders. Just as she was in Malfoy Manor, she was still as a corpse.

"You've been trapped in this room for a long time." said Voldemort.

The lights began to flicker, objects in the room shook and fell on to the floor. A loud and large tear on the walls, resembling claw marks, was Honey or Tom's response. Voldemort paid no attention to it.

It was then that he felt her emotions, sense her thoughts. She despised this room, despite her parents' best efforts to beautify it, but she had accepted it. She thought this was where she was going to spend the rest of her life in. Voldemort knew that feeling well. When he was living in an orphanage as a child, he too thought he was going to die in that tiny room. Alone. Forgotten in the harshness of existence. This bedroom may be cleaner and better in comparison to his old bedroom but both were equivalent to a cage confining them.

On silent feet, he walked to her bed. "We escaped and we are never going back." he promised.

The room altered into a dark room filled with broken glass. Honey was bleeding on the floor, pinned underneath a broken crystal sculpture with broken glass surrounding her. She was picking up hand full of glass with her hand right and putting them into her own mouth. Melissa pushed opened the doors and gasped in shock at what she saw.

"Honey!" Melissa pointed her wand at her daughter and white light shot out of the end. Honey's body became limp and she lost consciousness. She picked up Honey's bloody hand and touched the blood on her mouth.

With a swing of Melissa's wand, the glass sculpture over Honey gone and the area around her was clean. Melissa went to her daughter and cradled her in her arms.

Benjamin burst into the room and stared in horror at the sight of her bloody daughter. He fell on to his knees and crawled to his wife and daughter and caged both of them in his arms.

Melissa shook her head in confusion, tears falling from her eyes. "Summon the healer now!"

Healers ran rapid with their wands in an effort to save Honey. Melissa, her father, and Benjamin anxiously stood outside of Honey's bedroom; waiting for one of the healers to come out to tell them she was all right. Neither looked at each other's face. When a healer finally walked through the doors, they rushed to him.

"We healed her wounds but she is still under critical condition." said the healer.

"Can you explained to us what happened?" asked Honey's grandpa.

"She has swallowed some glass, but we managed to remove them." said the healer.

"How did they get in there?" asked Benjamin.

"Did someone break in and attacked her?" asked Honey's grandpa.

"There were no intruders." said Benjamin.

"When I found her she was alone." said Melissa, "She was...she was..."

"Her right hand...it looks like she was picking up glass shards with it and..." the healer went silent as if he didn't believe what he was about to say.

"She was putting glass in her own mouth." Melissa finished for him.

Everyone was too stunned to speak. Voldemort left the group, since this was the only current memory he could see in Melissa's head. Something was preventing him from looking into Melissa's memories. He returned to Honey. Honey's physical body was lying in her bedroom drifting in and out of consciousness. When she fell asleep her mind took her inside of Riddle Manor. She was transformed back into Tom, where she stood over the three corpses. Voldemort could see that this event was important to Tom. His young self was eternally trapped in this particular moment with his thoughts of revenge and his rage. The reason was because it was how he felt right before he sliced that portion of his soul out and placed it inside of the ring. Voldemort remembered the pain he suffered when he did it. It was minimal compared to what he had to endure for his future. For his dream, he was willing to exchange anything and everything he possessed. Scars, whether it was mental, emotional, or physical, was nothing in his path to achieve his goal.

"Enough dwelling!" Voldemort ordered Tom. "We must look to the future. Not sink in the past, Tom."

Tom snapped his head to Voldemort. A corner of Tom's lips turned up in amusement. Voldemort exited Honey's mind. He had seen and learned enough for him to deduce what was occurring in her mind. They were going to have an interesting conversation once she wakes up.

When morning came, Voldemort watched as Honey slowly stirred. He waited until she was fully conscious to speak to her.

"Do you remember our conversation from last night?" he asked her.

"No."

"I am Lord Voldemort." As he said this he saw no recognition in her face. Spending most of her life living as a vegetable had molded her to this eternal neutral state. She would not interact until she knew what he wanted first. "I brought you here to cure you of your illness."

"What illness do you think I have?"

"An illness of the mind. Your dreams and reality have fused together. You live between the boarders of the two for so long that you cannot separate them. I am here to teach you how."

Honey didn't appear convinced. "How are you going to do that?"

"By making you remember who you are, Tom."

That got a reaction from Honey but only slightly.

"I have seen into your mind. You are Tom. You're me. This is why you dream of being Tom Riddle. Being me. You see our past. Feel our emotions."

Honey turned the palm of her right hand up to look at it. "My hand throbs when I do."

Voldemort caressed the inside of her open palm. "It is because with this hand Tom forced the glass shards down your mouth."

Honey closed her palm and clasped his hand. "Hands symbolize departure, leaving...which of us will go first?"

Voldemort pulled his hand away from her grip. Honey sat up and threw the blanket aside. Slowly, she placed her feet on the floor and stood to her full height, which was not much compared to him. Small in stature she was but she intimidated him with her change in demeanor. She had altered into a different person. A separate personality.

"Tom Riddle." said Voldemort.

"I am Honey."

"No, you're not."

Honey smiled. "If I weren't Honey, how would I know about you? _Mudblood_."

"SILENCE!" Voldemort screamed. Mudbloods were those lower breed born with no Wizarding parents or grandparents. He was a descendant of the great Salazar Slytherin. He would never allow anyone to use that _particular term _on him. "I'M A HALF-BLOOD!"

"Your mum polluted her pure blood line when she whored herself to a Muggle. To Slytherin you are considered a Mudblood."

Voldemort summoned his wand and pointed it at her. Honey or Tom. He was going to punish whoever this was for insulting him.

There was no fear in Honey. She tsked, expressing disapproval of him. "The truth can hurt you more than death."

Voldemort's wand fell from his hand. His eyes shut and he fell backward in to the floor. Honey picked his wand up and used a charm to place Voldemort on the bed. She casted a sleeping spell on him before she Apparate to her home.

Melissa was in Honey's bedroom, waiting. She stood up from the chair and stared at Honey, tears rimming her eyes. Melissa could not stop the tears from falling. It was Honey's body that stood before her, but deep in her heart she recognized those pairs of eyes that stared back at her. They belong to that miserable and vengeful boy she loved. Never in her life would she forget them.


	7. Chapter 7

Voldemort was exactly where Honey left him. She took her wand out and revived him. Voldemort snapped opened his red eyes and sprung from the bed with his hand out stretched toward her. Honey's feet left the floor as her body levitated. She stopped mere inches from his face.

"Which one are you?" he demanded, studying her face.

"I'm Honey."

"I've heard that one before."

"Would you prefer to speak to Tom?"

Voldemort stared at her for a few seconds more and then backed away. "I'd rather have a few words with you first." He released Honey and gestured her toward a sitting area in a corner. He waited for her to sit down first before he did. "I must apologize for my rough treatment. Tom's unruly actions have left me upset."

"I can relate to that."

"Have you eaten? May I offer you refreshments?" he asked, playing the gracious host.

"I'm fine." She already ate at home before coming to him.

"Very well." he said charmingly. "Now, tell me. Do you remember anything about our previous encounter?"

"You took me from Potter cottage and told me I was you."

Voldemort nodded. "At first, I thought you and Tom were one and the same but it appears I was mistaken. You and he are separate beings that share one body. You are fused together. It is difficult to believe but allow me to elaborate. I saw the memory of your birth. Tom was present and he latched onto your body."

"He's possessing me?" she simply defined it.

"Yes."

"Like how you were possessing Quirinus Quirrell's body? It was said that you were a parasite living on the back of Quirrell's head. Devouring his soul every time he took a breath."

"Do not believe everything you hear."

"Interesting you would say that."

"I assure you that I only have your best interest at heart."

"Mines or Tom's?"

"Both."

"Then there is a conflict. He has been attempting to take my life. I, in contrast of his wishes, have not agreed."

"He does have those tendencies." he said as if they were discussing a wayward child that had misbehaved and not a murderer. "I shall speak with him at once about this matter."

"Going to lecture him on how to succeed?"

"No, no..." he waved his hand dismissingly. "In these short hours I have grown attached to you as I am certain Tom has as well. I do not wish for misfortune to befall you. I will order him to cease harming you."

"And you think he will listen to you?"

"Trust me. I have the ability to pursue him."

"Thank you for the offer but I must decline. Honestly, I don't mind it. He keeps me sharp."

Voldemort smiled at this.

"I think it's best if I return home." she informed him.

"Why?" he asked in alarm.

"I have an illness related to my mind. I need a healer to treat me. If you are not a healer then I see no point in being here." She spoke her words slowly and clearly for him to not mistake her.

"I am not a healer by trade but I assure you I have the necessary skills to treat you."

"Such as?"

He leaned toward her. "There are many things I can show you. _If_ you stay."

"No."

He blinked, surprised at her lack of interest in him and what he could offer her. No one had carelessly dismissed him like she did. He must use different tactics to entice her to stay. He needed more time with her.

"You are free to leave whenever you wish but why should it be so soon? You have not formed an opinion of me as of yet. We should rectify that."

"Two days. After that I leave."

"Why not three?" he suggested.

"I would miss my parents too much."

Voldemort could force her to remain with him or use his magic on her but his pride prevented him.

"Two days it is."

"I have another request."

"Whatever you desire."

"I want to spend the first day in the home of the Gaunt's and the next in Riddle Manor."

Voldemort was taken aback by this but didn't question her since he had already agreed.

* * *

><p>Voldemort lead Honey toward the humble home of the Gaunt's that was well hidden in the grove. The vegetation was dark since no light reached the area. The walls were mossy with tiles missing from the roof that the rafters were visible in places. When they reached the door, she paused to touch a rusty nail embedded in the wood.<p>

Voldemort took out his wand to open it. As the door slowly swung open it creaked with age. He gestured her inside. Honey stepped over the threshold and recognized the odor of decay. She did not know how or why she was able to identify it but she did. There was a dead body in the shack.

"My apologies." said Voldemort. He cast a charm to light the room and clean the inside.

"There is no need." she said. She walked over from one wall to another and inhaled, without being too obvious, in an attempt to locate the cause of the smell. "It's certainly cozy." she stopped what she was doing and turned to him. "I want to spend the night."

"If you wish."

"In that room." she pointed to a door.

"Preparations have to be made."

"I don't require much." she went to open the door and walked into the small space. It as tiny but she was tinier.

He remained outside. He was too large to enter. "Are you certain you want to sleep in there?"

"I'm the right size."

"Excused me," said Voldemort.

Honey watched as he walked outside the shack and closed the door. She felt something touching her shoulder she turned around. There was nothing there. How odd, she could have sworn she felt it. She dismissed it as her imagination and went back inside her temporary bedroom. She closed the bedroom door and took out her cards. She shuffled them with shaking hands. She took a card out and nearly panicked. It showed her standing in the room. She was also holding the card in her hand. It was as if someone had taken her picture just now and put it on the card but that was not what was causing her heart to race with fear. There, standing on her left was a black figure. She slowly turned her head to her left and saw nothing. Looking back at the card, she saw the figure was still there. It was raising its hand to touch her arm that same moment she felt something cold on her arm and jumped off the bed.

"Who is there?" she asked. When there was no answer she looked back at the card. The figure was walking out the door. She followed the figure, every now and then her eyes were on the card and ahead to see where she was going. The figure was leading her to a door. She twisted the doorknob to open it as she walked through the threshold her gaze was pulled downward toward the floorboards.

"What is it?" asked Voldemort. He came back inside of the shack to see how she was doing.

She pointed at the floor. "I want to go to Riddle Manor."

Riddle Manor was larger compared to the Gaunt's shack but just as old and deteriorated. It was in a poor state, nothing like the lavished manor from Tommy's memories. While they were walking up the hill, Honey glanced at the village down below. She stopped walking and her body twitched from the familiar zap she had felt in her Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"You placed a curse on this property." she said.

"As a precaution."

It meant that he might have also placed a curse on the classroom in Hogwarts. She had to explore the classroom once she returned to the school to see what kind of curse it was. When they entered the manor Voldemort casted a spell to clean the area. The inside of the manor was completely different from Tommy's memory. None of the furniture was there, the walls were peeling, and the floor was moldy.

As she walked inside her surroundings swirled and the interior transformed into the one in Tommy's memories. Voldemort was gone and she was standing alone. Soft voices could be heard nearby. She walked toward the voices. There was Tom, two men, and a woman standing. Tommy was dressed in a dark clock while the others were in formal attire.

"My mother's name is Merope Gaunt. I was told you were my father." said Tom.

"Merope Gaunt?" said the middle aged man that strongly resembled Tom.

"You mean that whore who bewitched you?" said the elderly woman.

"She had a son!" said the elderly man and looked at the middle aged man. "You actually bedded **_It_**?"

"I-I-she drugged and took advantage of me! I don't remember anything!"

The elderly woman hugged the middle aged man. "Oh Tom! My poor child! Thomas you must do something about this!" she said to the elderly man. "Make her and her dreadful family of hers pay!"

"They are dead." said Tom.

The three people turned their heads to him.

"Serves them right!" said the Thomas.

"Good ridden to rubbish!" said the elderly woman.

The man pulled away from his mother and went to Tom. "How did she die?"

"Childbirth."

The man's eyes widen in shock.

"Wonderful!" laughed the elderly man and woman.

"That rodent deserved death for what she did to my boy."

"I hope they suffered." said the elderly man.

The light began to flicker as Tom tightened the grip he had on the wand in his hand.

The woman went to Tom and looked at him from head to toe. "You are fortunate you didn't inherit anything her family."

"The Gaunts were one of the greatest, well known family in the Wizarding world. Not like you Muggles!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Tom raised his wand and hissed the fatal curse that ended the elderly couple's life. As they dropped on to the floor, he pointed his wand at his father.

"I'm sorry." said the man, before Tom took his life as well.

Honey stepped out of the shadows and took Tom's hand. Tom turned his head to look at her.

"Was it worth it?" she asked him.

Killing his own father left a lasting scar on Tom. He was imprisoned in this particular memory, along with the emotion of rage, and feelings of rejection. It was the last thing Voldemort had left him with before putting him inside of the ring and isolated him from the outside world.

"I'd do it again." He admitted proudly.

Honey closed her eyes and opened them again. She was back in the present with Voldemort beside her.

"I think I'd rather not stay here or the Gaunt's home."

"Why?"

"I have seen enough and would like to go home."

"But you said you were going back in two days."

"I changed my mind."

"I can help you kill Dumbledore." He was desperate to prevent her from leaving him that he would resort to any means.

"I have doubts."

She was the only person whose non-magic words made Voldemort felt like she had physically and emotionally hurt him. He would prefer it if she had hexed him instead. That, he could deal with.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"If you had the knowledge and ability, you would have killed him yourself by now."

"I have more important matters to settle. Dumbledore is second on my list. My first priority is Harry Potter." he explained. "After Potter, it'll be Dumbledore."

"Excuses,"

"What proof do you need of my sincerity?"

"Nothing. I will put Albus Dumbledore in his grave on my own and I request that you do not interfere. It is a matter of family honor and I will be insulted if you did." ending her speech, she disapparate before his eyes in silence.

Passion, intelligence, determination, magic, and most importantly the pure-blood heritage, all things he admired were possessed by Honey. Voldemort swore he must have this little witch by his side not matter the cost.

* * *

><p>"You're back? I thought it would be longer." said Melissa, when she found Honey in her bedroom.<p>

Honey had changed her clothes into something light weighted and form fitting. She had a bag and was packing it with essentials. "I'm only here to get a few things."

"Oh, well...was he able to help you?"

"I have obtained new information." she closed her bag and kissed her mother's cheek before leaving.

Voldemort was a hindrance to her and Honey needed to be rid of him to investigate the Gaunt's and Riddle's home on her own. She went straight to the Gaunt's shack after testing to see if anyone was within proximity that would disturb her. It didn't matter if there was a corpse on the grounds. It was a common ritual. Old wizard families practice a ritual of burying the dead in their property. With a cloth tied around her face, she went into the bedroom, removed the wood, lighted the dark space with her wand, and jumped down. Insects scattered from the light, abandoning the mound of bones they were inhabiting. By the clothing on the skeleton one could tell it was a man. Since there were only two male members left, it was either Marvolo or Morfin resting there.

She took the card out of her pocket, just like before it was showing her where she was.

"Why do you want me here?" she asked it.

The figure went to the body lying on the floor and knelt before it with its head down. That was when Honey realized that it wanted to see the corpse. To pay respect. She kneeled on the other side of the body and went on her knees. She pressed her hands together, bowed her head, and recited the words she had been taught. It was an act of respect to the dead she had learned while living in Asia. One must bow and chant an incantation. It was to wish them well on their journey to the afterlife, to forget any animosity that existed while they were living, and find peace. When they do they would be allowed to undergo the process of reincarnation, the belief of returning to the living as a new being. She opened her bag and took out some chrysanthemums, the symbol of death, and placed them at his feet.

"I wished I can do more but this was all I can manage on short notice." she told the invisible figure and explained Asian death rituals to it. When she was done speaking she twitched as she felt a cold hand graze her cheek. She assumed it was out of appreciation.

Honey reached into her pocket and produced the stoneless ring and placed it under the man's skeletal hand. "I want to keep this but it should be returned to the possession of its true owner. I'm sorry. I don't know where the stone went." She felt the figure graze her right hand and grabbed it. The image of a man and woman flashed before her eyes and she knew who the figure was.

Alice Groston.

Which meant the man was not Marvolo or Morfin Gaunt. It was Cadmus Peverell.

Honey thought back to Cadmus and Alice's story. While he was gone in search for food, she went into the hearth and set herself on fire. The _hearth_. The Floo Network! The Floo Network had existed for many centuries. What if Alice used it to escape Cadmus? He went mad and sent himself on fire. The skeleton didn't look like it had been burned. It was still intact and not charred. As she had previously thought, the tale was not accurate.

"I am curious but I have enough respect for your privacy to not ask." said Honey, releasing Alice's hand. The amount of sorrow she had felt from those brief touches prompted her not to ask.

"Are you all right here? Is there anything you need?" Honey asked. "I will help you if I can."

"Maybe these can help you?" Honey took out her cards and shuffled them. She pulled out Death's card and was startled to see that his eyes were opened and moving. She believed he was looking at Alice. "Help her." She begged. "Please."

Death turned his gaze to Honey. She felt her hand tingling and heard Alice murmuring the words, "Thank you." Death closed his eyes.

Honey pulled down the cloth that had been covering her face and sniffed the air. The smell of decay was gone. She put the card back into the deck. Pressing her hands together she bowed her head and recited the incantation. This time it was for Alice. She dug into her bag and found a box of ribbons she had purchased months ago but never used. She placed the unopened box next to the flowers as an offering to Alice.

Afterwards, she climbed from the pit and closed it. She may never know the true story but was happy that she could help Alice. No one deserved to feel that amount of misery. She left the shack and went to Riddle Manor her feet leading her inside and into a bedroom before she knew it. She walked about the bedroom, wondering why she was pulled there. She stopped walking when she notice that the wood beneath her feet sounded hollow. She took out her wand and pointed at the floor. It pulled back to reveal an aged gold box. She used a spell to check for curses before picking it up and opening it. Inside was a faded, old Muggle photograph of a man, strongly resembling Tom Riddle, with a woman in a bridal gown. The woman had dark hair, pale skin, and eyes that pointed to different directions. She looked at the back of the photograph where_ 1925 _was printed. She put the photograph back in the box and put it in her bag.

* * *

><p>Bathilda Bagshot had been bewitched...or was demented or both. Was Honey's first thought after knocking on the woman's door and asked to speak with her. Bathilda invited Honey in and offered her some tea. Three minutes into the conversation, Honey discovered to her disappointment, her favorite author was not quite right in the head. This was not the historian who had written all of those books. But for one thing, the woman knew a lot about the Dumbledore family. Some of her stories coincided with what her grandpa had told her. As for the rest of the tale, she would remain skeptical until proven otherwise. After she had gotten what she had come for, Honey bid the woman goodbye and left.<p>

Honey walked down the street to the graveyard. She had a pouch of unpolished amber stones she wanted to give as a gift for the graves she was visiting. When she reached it and stopped, a man walked up and stood beside her, looking at the array of headstones.

"Emptiness." said the man.

Honey turned to look at him. He was tall, dressed in dark robes, with blond hair, and a tanned face.

"Pardon my rudeness. I'm Siri-um...I'm Siri Sinclair." he stuttered his name.

"I'm Rini." Honey told him. Before she returned to Godric's Hollow she had used a glamour charm to change her appearance. Her hair and eyebrows were black and her skin was honey tone. She made her eyes and nose larger.

They turned back to look at the graveyard after introducing themselves. There was a long pause. Siri left her side and placed two messy bouquet of flowers tied together by a string on the Potter's headstone.

"I'm a...an admirer. I don't know them personally." he explained and quickly added the last part.

"Likewise." she untied the pouch and took out two yellow amber stones and placed them next to the flowers. "Amber is the stone of the sun. It dissolves negative energy."

"Really?"

"Would you like one?"

"Sure, why not?"

Honey gave him a stone. It was a yellow translucent one with little clouds of black. Siri took the stone and looked it over. "It looks like a bird."

"Pardon?"

He turned the stone and pointed to a little puff of black on the surface of the stone.

"It's more of a leaf."

"Wait," said Siri. He flipped the stone over.

"Oh! I see it now." she smiled.

Siri grinned in return. "Thank you for this. It's um...brilliant."

"You're welcome."

He put the stone in his pocket. "I must be leaving. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Me too."

They went their separate ways. Honey pondered where she should go next. Maybe she should consult with the cards? She found an empty alley and took the cards out.

_Where should I go? _She asked while she shuffled them and pulled one out.

The card showed the Hogwarts castle. The cards want her to go back. Back to Hogwarts it is.

* * *

><p>On the blackboard, Honey drew examples of number charts form her Arithmancy book. She turned away from the board, distracted by her friend's chattering. They were borrowing one of the classrooms to study in.<p>

"What are you talking about?" she asked them.

"The mysterious Shafiq heir." said Evie.

"Everyone is trying to figure out who he is." added Becky.

"They say he's in our school but one has seen him." said Meredith.

"How are you sure he's here? Maybe it's a false rumor?" asked Honey.

The girls looked at each other.

Meredith shrugged. "Maybe,"

Honey turned back to the board and continued drawing the chart with shaking hands. After they were done, Honey left the classroom and entered the corridor. Her stride came to a halt when she was intercepted by Pansy and Millicent. Pansy ran up to her with a large smile on her face.

"Did you hear _the_ Shafiq heir is in Hogwarts?"

Honey was slightly irked that a secret of hers was discovered. Marvolo had once tried to manipulate her into believing that her family's fame was the only reason she had friends. Deep down she knew it was partially true.

"Umm..." Honey pressed her lips together. She had entered the school using Sheridan as her surname when it was actually her middle name. Her full name was Honey Sheridan Shafiq.

In the sixteen hundreds, a thief, Eldon Elsrickle, was robbing rich families. No one was able to catch him because when they do he would bribe them by teaching them his Unlocking Charm, Alohomora. It was when the spell was first introduced. Afterwards, all of England was plagued by thievery. Elsrickle kept all of his stolen goods in his home. It was guarded by a Nundu, an enormous mammal that resembled a leopard. It was considered one of the most dangerous creatures alive. Its breath was toxic and filled with disease that could kill entire villages. Hundreds of wizards and witches have to work together to subdue an adult. As luck would have it Elsrickle's Nundu had eaten him, escaped from the home and attacked the town, many lives were lost. Her great-grandpa Edmund Shafiq was a valiant wizard who courageously sacrificed his life slaying the beast. He saved his fellow Aurors and the town from it. His funeral was overflowed with people who sang his praise for centuries. He was a hero among the Wizarding World, particularly popular with rich pure-bloods families. They were the main targets of the robberies. In the end of the ordeal they had received all of their possessions back.

"How did you find out about...about him?" asked Honey.

"I heard it from Flora and Hestia Carrow. They were telling everyone in our House." Pansy took her arm.

Pansy took Honey's arm and dragged her off. Millicent followed. Pansy led her to a group of girls in Slytherin uniform that were sitting at the edge of a table in the Great Hall which was in chaos. Pansy placed her down on the bench and sat next to her. A girl with dark hair looked at Honey and then at the open book she was holding.

Honey inclined her neck and saw what they were looking at. It was a photograph of a portrait that was hanging on her wall at home. The portrait was of her famous great-grandparents, Edmund and Winifred Shafiq, holding each other. He was wearing white robes while she had on a green pastel dress. The couple was young and carefree, unaware of the tragic that was to come. Seeing the photo, she understood why the girl was eying her. She had been told by many of her family members that she was the reincarnation of her Great-Grandma Winifred. There were similarities between them but she believed she was nowhere near as beautiful or graceful as her.

"He is so handsome!" said a girl.

"And she's gorgeous!"

"You look like her." said the girl holding the book.

The other girls stared at her like she was a rare mythical creature and then back at the book.

"You flatter me." said Honey. "But I'm nowhere near as beautiful as her."

"Yeah, she isn't." one of the girls remarked and the others agreed.

"Will you excuse me? I have a meeting with one of my teachers." Honey stood up and left the Great Hall. While walking down the corridor she could students spreading rumors about her family in one form or another.

"I heard the Nundu was so huge it took thousands of wizards to remove it." said someone.

"I heard the Ministry has the corpse hidden in the building somewhere and perform experiments on it."

The voices were so loud, it gave Honey a headache. She hurried out of the castle and went to the Qudditch changing rooms. She walked into the pitch with her broom, wearing her Quidditch outfit. Zacharias was already dressed and waiting for her with a large wooden crate of Bludgers next to him.

The first Quidditch match of the season was fast approaching and the training was getting tougher. In her new lesson, she had to fly from one end of the pitch to the other, while try to dodge as many Bludgers as she could. If one hits her, it'll turn red and return to the crate. Zacharias gave her a bat and sent her off.

Honey mounted her broom and flew up in the air. From the ground Zacharias waved his arm, asking if she was ready. After she mimicked his signal she began to fly. She spotted one Bludger coming and maneuvered out of the way, only to be hit by two on her back and on her side. As he had told her, the balls turned red and disappeared. They didn't hurt one bit, but it irked her that she got so many hits this early. She continued to fly, swinging her bat, to her destination and the Bludgers continued to bounce off her as well. By the end she lost count of how many times she was hit by. When she returned to the ground, Zacharias, with a clipboard in hand, confirmed that it had been thirty-one out of a hundred. It was a great improvement from her last few lessons.

Zacharias wrote the number on the clipboard. "If you manage to only get hit by twenty or less, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. You have the potential to make a great Beater. Pretty good balance on your broom but your arms aren't strong enough yet."

Honey had read about the traits necessary for each player to have. What he said was true. she really didn't have the strength to be a Beater which were mainly played by men.

"What about a Chaser?" she suggested. Chasers were swift and agile flyers, second only to a Seeker.

"You do have the physique for it. You are a good flyer but you miss the Quaffle more than you can catch it." said Zacharias, looking her up and down as he considered her. "And we already put a lot of effort for you to be a Beater...how about this: we'll see how you do with a team. If I think you're better as a Chaser then I'll change your training. Sound good?"

"Okay."

When they were finished, she helped him carry the crate back to its place. He could have done it himself with magic but thought it was a good exercise for her to do.

"Keep up with that exercise schedule I gave you and you'll be ready in no time." he said while they were walking.

Honey nodded. She could not wait for the Qudditch season to begin. She would experience the taste of her first match. She had owled her parents about her flying lessons but restrain from telling them that she was going to participate in a match. There was a small possibility that she would not be ready in time. She was going to wait until she was certain that she would be playing first before she invited them to watch.

After they put the crate away, they parted and went to separate changing rooms. After changing her clothes and shrunk her broom to fit into a small case in her pocket, she sat on a bench to steady herself. Flying made her felt a little better after a terrible day but when it was over she had to face reality.

Honey's musing was interrupted by a noise outside. She opened the door a little and peeked to see what it was. A group of Slytherin boys were walking into their changing room. She had stayed there too long and the Slytherins had come to the pitch to practice. Closing the door, she waited until the last of the boys entered their room and shut the door. She peeked outside once more and saw no one. Carefully, she opened and closed her door and silently walked pass the Slytherin's door to the exit.

"Did you hear the Shafiq's hair has come to Hogwarts?"

"I wonder if they really have the Nundu's head mounted on their wall."

"I'd give anything to see it."

Honey had enough of people talking about her and her family. She quickened her feet but came to an abrupt halt.

"No you're wrong! They have it as a lawn ornament."

_How did he know that?_ Wondered Honey. The Nundu's carcass was petrified and put on her front lawn as a decoration. Its hide was removed and made into two coats, a hat, a pair of shoes, and a blanket for her great-grandma. It was a gift from the Ministry of Magic to her family for her husband's outstanding bravery and sacrifice.

"How do you know that?"

"My grandfather's an old friend of theirs. Talks about them all the time."

Oh's and awes were heard through the door. The other boys were impressed by the boy's familiarity with her family. Her surname was listed in the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a list of British families that were still truly pure, in the Pure-Blood Directory. Everyone knew of them through their pure-blood heritage, wealth, and fame. It would improve one's status to be associated with them.

"So who is the heir?"

"What house is he in?"

"He's a close and personal friend of mine." said a boy.

The noise quieted down when he said this. The only Slytherin boy Honey had encountered was one. The person boasting that he know her didn't sound at all like Blaise. He was lying. This was the very reason why her family had kept their name a secret.

"Can you introduce me?"

"Have you seen the Nundu?"

"Can you talk him into letting me see it?"

"He's kind of secretive. Doesn't like all the attention. I'll ask him for you. His answer depends if he's having a good day or not."

Honey giggled. For someone who didn't know her, he certainly knew her. Hearing enough, she left the hall and made her way back to the castle only to hear more rumors about her. Her only consolation was that everyone thought she was a boy. How that rumor was concocted was a mystery to her but a misunderstanding she didn't mind.

As weeks went by the rumors about the Shafiq heir had died down much to the relief of Honey. It was replaced by the arrival of Qudditch, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Because of practice and other activities, Honey hadn't seen Fred and George as often as before. They were Beaters for the Gryffindors team. On the morning of the match, she spotted them and wished them luck. As for Luna, it was difficult to find proper time to talk to her. She was always busy doing something. The last time Honey spoke to her she said was making a hat shaped like a lion's head. She saw the finished product and thought it was well crafted and told her so. Luna thanked her and they part ways.

Honey was sitting in the stands with Meredith, Becky, Evie, and Zacharias. She had a clipboard, parchment, and quill that Zacharias had gave her to take notes on the match. He said it was important for her to observe the other teams and know their strengths and weakness. She had two columns for each team and a list for the players: Chasers, Beaters, and Seeker. When the match started she began to write as the match started. The balls were released and the players went flying. While she was watching them play Slytherin began loudly singing a song.

"What's happening?" she asked her friends, whose jaws were hanging open. She focused on the lyric and her mouth formed an 'O' as she realized what they were singing about.

_'Weasley cannot save a thing,_

_He cannot block a single ring,_

_That's why Slytherins all sing:_

_Weasley is our King._

_'Weasley was born in a bin_

_He always lets the Quaffle in_

_Weasley will make sure we win_

_Weasley is our King.'_

In the Slytherin column, Honey wrote: use dirty tactics to intimidate others. Under Gryffindor she wrote: Keeper isn't very skilled. After a few moments for those on the stands to recover and began to talk. The spectators where half and half about the song. Some thought it was genius while others were offended on the Gryffindor's behalf.

"Oh. My. Goodness..." was all Evie could say.

"Those Slytherins have gone too far." said Becky.

"Even I'm embarrassed for them." said Meredith.

"I'd die if they did that to me." said Zacharias.

As the singing grew louder, Evie, Meredith, and Becky became uncomfortable.

"Ignore it like Honey is." Zacharias said, pointing his thumb at her. He leaned over to see what she had written on the parchment. She was doing better than he thought she would. "Say, do you know where the Snitch is?"

"Hovering over there." she pointed.

He took out his binoculars and looked toward the direction of her finger. Increasing the magnification, he spotted a speck of gold flashing in the air that moved swiftly in an pattern the golden ball was known to do. When she claimed she was able see the Snitch in the rain he thought she was bluffing. As it turned out she wasn't.

"How did you see it?" he asked her.

"I have good eyes."

"You can fly but as a Beater you can hit _some_ Bludgers but you can't dodge them." he said thoughtfully. "As a Chaser you can't catch. You can see the Snitch but probably can't catch it either."

According to his assessment, she possessed only half of the skills necessary for each of the positions.

"I invested a lot for you to be a Beater. We will stay with that but I do want to see how you'll do in a team situation."

"Who is the other Beater on your team? I should meet that person. I want to play like the Weasley twins, working in harmony."

"You're right. I'll introduce you to him in our next lesson."

After they made their agreement they turned their attention back to the game. The Seekers for were diving toward the same direction, they spotted the Snitch. The crowd watched in anticipation as they waited to see who was going to capture the Snitch. Within minutes the announcer shouted Gryffindor's victory. The crowd cheered.

"Go Harry!" screamed Becky, jumping from her seat.

Her happiness was short lived when a Bludger hit the Gryffindor Seeker's back. He flew forwards off his broom. Becky screamed, Meredith and Evie rush to comfort her. Honey added another note under the Slytherins: unsportsmanlike conduct. She handed her notes to Zacharias and joined the others in soothing Becky.

* * *

><p>"It's not fair!" screamed Becky, pacing the floor of Honey and Evie's dorm room. The others were sitting on empty beds with their potion books opened.<p>

News had broken that Harry Potter, Fred, and George Weasley had received a lifelong ban on playing Quidditch for fighting with the Slytherins.

"The Gryffindors were probably provoked." said Evie.

"I'd hex them too if they sang a song about me like that." said Meredith. "Those Slytherins are vile and Umbridge is a megalomaniac."

Honey closed her potions book and put it to the side since her friends were not in a studying mood.

"We need to do something about them!" exclaimed Becky.

"There is no way we'll let them get away with this!" said Meredith.

"Even if it's unjust, we shouldn't involve ourselves in their fight. It has nothing to do with us." reasoned Evie.

"Yeah, our alibi has to be an innocent." said Meredith. "And you're perfect Evie."

Evie was confused by what she was saying. "What?"

"When we do this, you can stay in your dorm all day and say we were with you. People will believe you. You've got the rule abiding, good girl image going." said Becky.

Evie opened her mouth as if to protest but closed it. "Do what you will. I'm leaving the room." she got off her bed and left.

"It's so she can safely say she doesn't know anything about our plans." said Meredith. "Honey, come closer."

Honey stood up from her bed, having just realized that she was included in the _we _of the two scorned Ravenclaw's revenge plan. She joined the two schemers, completing their circle. Fred and George were her friends and she wanted justice for them.

"I've got a cousin who lives near the coastline. Last year, he told me about a swarm of Mackled Malaclaw near his house. He thought they are cute and keep some as pets." said Meredith. "I'll owl him and asked if he send a few dozen to us."

Mackled Malaclaw was a land creature that resembled a lobster. It had light grey skin with green spots. Anyone who eats the flesh of a Malaclaw will come down with a nasty fever and develop a green rash. A bite from a Malaclaw would cause the victim to be unlucky for up to a week.

"After we receive them, we shrink and hide them in the Slytherin common room. Their whole house will have bad luck." Meredith laughed maniacally.

"But wouldn't it be suspicious if the whole House was unlucky?" inserted Honey, seeing holes in her plan. "Also, how are you going to put them in the Slytherin common room?"

"Have you forgotten my little sister is in there? She's a bit of a princess but not mad like some of them." said Becky.

"Darn! I was hoping to use her to put the Malaclaw in their common room." said Meredith.

"No way! I won't let her get hurt."

"Oh, all right. We'll change the plan. We still use the Malaclaw but we'll change the method of how to put them in their common room. And narrow down the list of those to give the Malaclaw to."

"The main one we have to get is Malfoy and his gang for getting Harry Potter ban from Qudditch. Umbridge for banning him and giving him all of those detentions." Becky paused to think about it, "You know, I think that's all of them."

"I suppose getting those four is easier than getting their whole House." Meredith said. "Now, how to give them to them?"

"Polyjuice Potion? We can turn into one of them and put it in their dorm room."

"That's brilliant Honey!" said Becky.

"But who's hair are we going to get?" said Meredith.

"I know two Slytherin girls." admitted Honey.

"Who?"

"Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode."

Meredith clapped her hands. "Perfect! Parkinson is always fawning over Malfoy. You can steal her hair, pretend to be her, sneak into his room and put the Malaclaws in there. If you get caught make up some lame excuse and get out of there quickly."

"I've never met this Malfoy and his friends. What do they look like?" she asked them.

"We'll show you who they are."

Her friends led her out of the Tower in search of the Slytherins. They went to the courtyard. Becky waved her hand at her younger sister, Cara, who was a miniature Becky with braids. Cara left her group of first years and went to them. They went a stone table and bench to sit. Becky took a saltwater taffy from her pocket. She unwrap it and put it in Cara's mouth. Cara accepted the offering and chewed.

"Do you know where Draco Malfoy and his goons are?" asked Becky.

Cara swallowed the candy and answered. "Last I saw they were in the common room."

Meredith bought out a toffee and gave it to Cara who gladly accepted it. "Do you know where he likes to hang out?"

"I can find out." She popped the candy in her mouth.

"Do it and we'll give you some more." said Becky.

Cara cupped her hands and stretched her arms out. "How bad do you want to know?"

Becky and Meredith dug in their pockets for more candy and filled Cara's small hands.

"Feels light." commented Cara.

"That's all we have. We'll get you more later."

Honey stuck her hand in her pocket. She brought out a small colorfully wrapped box tied with ribbons and put it on the table. The three girls curiously stared at the box.

"What's in it?" asked Cara.

"Open it and see for yourself."

Cara pulled the string from the box, eight blocks of large chocolate bars appeared in its place. The first year grabbed the bars and read of the types of flavors they were. Honey brought out two more boxes and lined them on the table. Cara pulled the ribbons. She looked close to faint when she saw what they were: a brand new silk red dress with matching shoes, and sweets she didn't know the name of but loved the taste. "Becky, Meredith try it! Try it!"

Becky and Meredith tied them and moaned at the taste.

"They're called Pocky sticks, comes in different flavors."

"How did you get all of these?" asked Meredith.

"I have a big family." Honey explained. "They send care packages every week from all over the world. Sometimes I receive sweets, clothes, shoes, fashion accessories…and more. If you help us, I'll share with you."

"Deal!" Cara gathered her presents. She paused and looked at the dress and shoes. "These are too big for me. Here Becky." she pushed the items toward her sister and ran to put the rest away.

"She's going to be our slave now." said Meredith.

Becky shifted in her seat. "You don't have to give her so much. She's spoiled as it is."

"Don't get all moral on us, Becky, you're the one who trained her to be like that." commented Meredith. "At least she shares with you."

Becky ran her hand over the soft fabric of the dress and shoes before giving them back to Honey. "I can't accept this."

"Please take it. It'll look great on you." Honey insisted.

"It looks expensive." Becky whispered.

"I'll take it." offered Meredith. She reached for the dress but Becky pulled it to her chest. "I thought you said you didn't want it?" she playfully teased her.

"Well...I..."

"It's a present I gave away. I won't accept it back." Honey told her firmly. "If you don't want to wear it put it in your closet for Cara. She'll be able to fit it in a few more years."

"Okay."

"Becky! Becky!" shouted Cara as she came running back to them. "I saw them. They got called to Snape's office."

The three witches stood up.

Honey gave her another box. "Good work."

Cara took the box and skipped off to see what it was.

"Let's go to the dungeons."

They went down to the dungeons and waited against a corner near professor Snape's office. The Slytherin boys should be out any moment. After ten minutes have passed the door swung open and three boys walked out. They were familiar but Honey could not recall where she had seen them before.

"Walk faster! Want him to come out and scold us again!" sneered the blond boy in the center. The two large dark haired boys fasten their pace.

Honey and her friends turned their faces when the boys walked passed them.

"The skinny blond is Draco Malfoy. The other two are Crabbe and Goyle." said Meredith.

Honey remembered them now. Draco was Pansy's boyfriend. The boy that had winked at her.


	8. Chapter 8

Tom was inside of his prison that was Riddle Manor. He had moved the couch to sit in front of the window where he had a perfect view of the inside of Honey's bedroom. Although her bedroom was windowless he could somehow see into it. He supposed it was because this was not reality. It was a type of dream world where anything was possible.

He discovered by accident that he had the ability to take control of Honey's body while she slept or when she was unconscious. She rarely slept but she would when exhaustion consumes her. When she did she would appear on the bed of her old windowless bedroom. Since he was inside of her mind, he didn't have to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom. All he had to do was wait for her to appear. Seeing a small movement on the bed, Tom stood up and pressed his forehead against the glass window. He squint his eyes to see the tall tell signs of her blonde head in the bed. Yes!

Tom opened his eyes to complete darkness. He felt his way with his hands and opened the curtains on the four poster bed. There was enough light from the moon through the window to allow him to see a lamp nearby. He twisted a small knob and the room lighted. He heard a gasp and turned to see Evie peeking at him from behind her curtain.

"Couldn't sleep. Got to do homework." Tom told her. He stood up and searched for some clothes in Honey's trunk. He went to the bathroom to change. When he was done he turned the light off and grabbed Honey's wand that was next to the portrait of her snoozing grandpa. He left Ravenclaw Tower and snuck into the Chamber of Secrets.

After he had regained his memories, he remembered something he had planned to do if he ever had the chance to return to Hogwarts. Search for the _real_ Chamber of Secrets. He had accepted that Melissa's claim was true. There was no other explanation for her powerful magic. He wanted it for his own. It was his right to claim it. He was the heir of Slytherin too. Even if he was a half-blood, it didn't matter. He was inside the body of a pureblood.

Tom used a charm to light the entire Chamber. He found a rock with a sharp point and he pricked Honey's finger. He dropped the rock as he heard the voices and smiled.

* * *

><p>Honey was in the middle of Care for Magical Creatures when she noticed that the original professor had been replaced with a large man name Hagrid. He had visible bruises on his face. The other students were whispering, speculating about how he attained those injuries and what had occurred in previous classes. Apparently, Professor Hagrid usually taught this class. He had a habit of bring dangerous creatures to class that have attacked students before. Umbridge had inspected his class and embarrassed him in front of students.<p>

Hagrid stood nervously in front of them, fiddling with something in his hands she could not make out from her position in the back. He appeared to have gathered his courage and addressed them.

"I've bin savin' a trip inter the Forest fer yer fifth year. We'd go an' see these _tamed_ creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train `em."

The class was quiet as he lead them through the snow toward the Forest.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," he said, putting the object he was holding down. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give `em a call anyway, `cause they'll like ter know it's me." He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees.

Honey felt something touching her right hand. She looked down and pulled her hand from the creature that was nudging her. The creature was large with a dragonish face, neck, and skeletal body of a black, winged horse. She recognized it from the carriage ride to Hogwarts. The creature bowed its head to her.

"That's all fer now. Class is over!" Hagrid shouted.

As the students dissolved back to the castle, Honey stayed her ground as more creatures of the same kind emerged and bowed. She reached her hand out and petted the one that had nudged her hand on the head. It made a shrieking sound and lifted its head as did the others.

Hagrid made his way to Honey.

"What are they?" she asked him.

"Thestrals."

"I've read about them." She had but they didn't quite match the description in the book. It was mostly because the wizards or witch who have seen them described them as creepy. They were not creepy. She thought they were beautiful.

"Never seen em' do this." he admitted and leaned down his head to look at Honey's thick winter coat.

The Thestrals were standing in coordinated row of fours like soldiers waiting for their commander. Honey fisted her right hand, feeling it burn and ache. The pain was more intense than ever before and it was pure torture.

"What's that coat yer wearing?"

"Excuse me." she choked out and ran back to the castle.

Honey stopped at the side of the stone wall and opened her palm. She turned it around and stared at the dark birthmark on the back of her wrist. It was where the pain was centered. Why was it still hurting? She had not abused it like before. In fact, she had been strictly using her left hand. Maybe she should have it examined?

By the time she reached the hospital wing the pain was gone. After examining it with her wand, Madam Pomfrey told her that she could not find anything wrong with it. Seeing that Honey was stressed over her hand, the Madam Pomfrey gave her stronger salves that would temporary numb her nerves on it. Honey knew it was not true. Something was terribly wrong with her hand but it was undetectable by magic. It meant she had to figure out the cause in a non-magical way. She thought of ways while walking back to her dorm room.

"Where were you last night?" asked her grandpa. He had returned to his portrait and was looked at her expectantly.

"Sleeping."

"Where?"

Honey knitted her brows in confusion. "In bed."

Her grandpa shook his head. "You went somewhere."

"No, I didn't."

"Indeed you did. Ask Evie, she saw you leave."

"Perhaps I will." Honey left the tower and searched for Evie.

Evie was in the greenhouse writing notes about her Chinese Chomping Cabbage.

"Evie?"

Evie stopped writing and looked at her. "Hi, Honey."

"Hi. Did you see me leave my bed last night?" Honey wasted no time and asked her.

"Yes."

"Did I say anything before I left?"

"You said you couldn't sleep and had to do your homework. I figured you left to meet with the others to do your _extra project_."

"I did." Honey nodded. "Harvey looks great. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, I'm just going to measure him." she took out a measuring tape and wrapped it around the cabbage.

"All right."

Honey left the greenhouse and went inside the Chamber of Secrets. She closed her eyes and was transported into the pseudo Riddle Manor where Tom was. He was sitting on the couch and staring out a window. She walked behind him to see what he was so engrossed to that he didn't even noticed her. Her face twisted in rage when she saw what it was. She was wondering why he had been too quiet lately. Now, she knew the truth. He had been taking control of her body while she slept.

"I knew I couldn't trust you." she whispered coldly.

He jumped up and turned around to face her. The window disappeared and the room transformed into the Chamber of Secrets. Chains flew from the stone wall and wrapped around his arms and legs.

"I hope you enjoy your little outing because it's going to be your last."

"No! I-I was helping you with your research!" he claimed, not struggling against the chains.

"It doesn't matter-"

"I was searching for a solution. I'm trying to help _us_."

"I can search for a cure to this illness myself."

"Don't talk about it like it's a type of disease."

"It is an abnormality."

"Well, yes. But this was never meant to happen."

"Then what was?"

Tom clenched his teeth and pressed his lips together to resist saying anything incriminating.

"I'll answer for you. You were going to sacrifice my life to revive your own."

"I admit I have thought of it at one point but I changed my mind. I'm on your side. I won't hurt you."

"You may have my mother fooled but not me."

"I love you."

"Your love is a lie."

"How can I prove it to you?"

"Where did you go last night?"

"The Chamber of Secrets." he confessed without hesitation.

"How does it feel? To know the only reason you were allowed access was because of _my blood_."

"If we work together we can find a way to separate faster." he offered. As much as she hated him, he knew she wanted him out of her body as equally as he does.

Honey considered his offer. It would benefit her to have more help but Tom was not trustworthy. "I want insurance."

"An Unbreakable Vow?"

"No."

* * *

><p>Although Hufflepuff first match was against Gryffindor, Zacharias brought Honey to watch the Slyhterin's Quidditch team practice. Sitting on the stands, Honey and Zacharias were wearing their winter coats and hats, studying the Slytherins.<p>

"Always be careful when flying with Slytherins." Zacharias advised her. "They can get pretty violent and you saw what happened at their last match."

"They lost the match but managed to weaken the Gryffindor's team." Honey observed.

"We play Gryffindors first but can't watch them now. They haven't found good enough replacements yet. Since they are not ready that leaves Slytherin and Ravenclaw." he paused. "Are you all right with playing against Ravenclaw?"

"I'm going to wait until my first game to decide."

"Fair enough."

Honey looked back at the Slytherins.

_"They are going to knock you off your broom." _Tom teased her. As part of their agreement she was allowing him his free time to view what she was seeing. Class was boring to him but he was eager to watch some Quidditch even if it was practice.

_"Hmm...I think I might pull a Slytherin. Cripple the Keeper. Eliminate the Seeker and Beaters."_

Tom didn't doubt her ability to do it after what she had done to him. She was not _soft_ like Melissa.

_"As if you can beat my Slytherins." _He challenged her.

_"Don't you know? Eagles eat snakes."_

"They're going to be hard to beat." said Zacharias.

"I'm confident we'll win."

Zacharias had to leave early to meet his Quidditch team. He promised that he'll introduce her to her Beater partner soon. Honey waited until the Slytherins practice was over to leave. At the bottom of the stairs she saw Blaise lazily strode down the path and Pansy trailing behind him, attempting to pursue him to do something for her.

"I don't think I can help you there." said Blaise.

"But you are his friend. Talk to him."

"It's only a coat. Get over it."

"But don't you want to see it too! Or...what about the body? It's on their lawn."

"Don't believe him too much. He likes to make up stories."

It didn't take long for Honey to realize that they were talking about her Nundu fur coat. The coat she was currently wearing. Maybe the coat was the reason for the Thestrals' odd behavior toward her? They recognized the Nundu's hide because they are magical animals too.

"_You should_ _talk to Hagrid_. _He adores monsters." _Tom suggested.

_"It doesn't matter. Only an expert can tell the difference."_

It was difficult to tell the difference since the Nunda's hide was similar to a leopard's_. _To be safe, Honey took off her coat and turned it inside out. She shook the snow off, put it back on, and was pleased to feel the cool soft fur against her skin.

_"Should've done this sooner. It feels spectacular." _Hugging the coat to her body, she walked back to the castle.

_"What are we going to do about Voldemort?" _Tom suddenly asked her.

_"What about him?"_

_"He's planning something but I don't know what it is."_

_"Shouldn't you know what his plans are? Isn't there a connection between you two?"_

_"No, there isn't."_

_"You are him. He is you. His habits are the same as yours but amplified." _Honey reviewed her encounters with Tom and Voldemort and analyzed their similarities._ "He'll befriend me with fault sincerity, try to win my trust, and kill me when I'm at my most vulnerable."_

_"He wants us alive." _he reminded her_._

_"That means he'll do the first two. Got any ideas what the third is?"_

_"Anything involving taking over the Wizarding World. Don't let down your guard."_

_"He has a world to conquer and let's not forget Harry Potter and Dumbledore to kill. I doubt I'm his first priority. I'll handle it when he tries to strike me."_

_"Don't get too arrogant. Voldemort is not the type of person to play around. Everything he does is for a purpose." _Tom realized too late that he was giving her reasons to doubt him. But lucky for him she was preoccupied with something else.

Honey thought back to the rumors that were spreading about her family, the Slytherins reactions in the changing room, the people who were claiming false friendship with her, and students begging those liars to meet her and see her coat. "I know why he revealed my secret. He wants me to have admirers, make me embrace my celebrity status, bath in their attention."

"_His plan is not without merit_." It would have been efficient when she was younger and trusting.

_"There goes number one." _Honey thought about number two and how he would accomplish it.

_"I think for number two, he might come in person."_

_"He came to Hogwarts before, possessing the body of a professor. To win my trust he would have to be inside someone close to me. My friends."_

_"Keep a close watch on your friends. Distant yourself from them if they start acting out of the ordinary."_

When Honey finally made it to Ravenclaw Towers she mentally shut Tom out to address the knocker in private.

"In the ordinary it lies, do not be deceived by your ears and eyes." she repeated the words the knocker had said to her weeks before.

Honey waited for the knocker to speak. She took a step closer to look at it and jumped back when the transparent head of a woman emerged from the knock.

"Winifred?" said the head.

The rest of the woman's body appeared. The ghost had long hair down to her waist and a Victorian dress.

"What are you doing in Ravenclaw Tower, Winifred?" the ghost asked.

Honey blinked. It appeared that the ghost had mistaken her for someone else.

"You best return to Gryffindor Tower before the prefects see you."

"Gryffindor?" Honey said in confusion.

It was not until she looked down at her coat did she realize why the ghost thought she was a Gryffindor student. The inner lining color of the coat was crimson and the bits of yellow and gold from the fur poking out made it appear as if she was wearing Gryffindor colors.

"I can't return to Gryffindor Tower-"

"You've already got Peeves hiding in the other end of the castle whenever you're near." The ghost shook her head in a teasing manner.

Honey was not about to be kicked out her own house. She stood her ground, not moving an inch. "I'm not -"

"Don't argue with me, _Winifred_." The ghost stressed the name.

That was Honey realized who the ghost had mistaken her for. Her long deceased great-grandma. She had heard stories of her attending Hogwarts and she was a Gryffindor. Possibly a mischievous Gryffindor if what the ghost says was any indication. That would explain why Peeves was scared of her. He must believe she was her Great-grandma Winifred too.

"No more mischief tonight. To bed. Off you go." she ushered Honey.

Honey back away. She felt her head spin and the next thing she knew she was inside of an unfamiliar common room. It was similar to the Ravenclaw's common room but with some differences. Something told her she was in Gryffindor Tower, mainly the colors on the walls and the Gryffindor students. The ghost must have brought her there. It didn't matter how she got there the most important thing was how she going to get out. She surveyed the area and saw two people walking through an opening on the wall. Believing it was the exit she headed to the portal.

"You can't leave. Curfew already started." said a girl with busy brown hair and brown eyes. The prefect badge on her robe was visible.

"I'm not a Gryffindor." Honey said quickly before she was interrupted. She pulled opened her coat to show her Ravenclaw uniform underneath as proof.

The girl took in her uniform and nodded. "You should hurry to your house. Umbridge will give you detention if she sees you." The prefect walked toward her. "I'll walk you back."

"I'll walk her." a boy with dark messy hair offered.

The prefect looked as if she was about to argue but the boy led Honey through the portal before she could say anything. He glanced around before pulling her close and threw a sheet over them. Honey felt her face heated and her heart beating faster at his proximity.

_"Who is he?" _came Tom's booming voice.

_"I don't know."_ she told him honestly.

_"He's a stranger? You're with a stranger? Why are you with a stranger?" _he said angrily.

_"He's walking me back to my house."_

"Where is your house?" the boy whispered.

_"He doesn't even know where your house is?!"_

Honey ignored Tom and tried to figure out where she was at. She recognized some of the artwork and carvings on the wall. "That way." She pointed.

_"You know your way to your house. You don't need him." _suggested Tom.

_"He offered. I don't want to be rude."_

_"He's probably possessed by Voldemort! Get away from him!"_

Honey winced and clutched her hand. She was overwhelmed by the pain from her throbbing hand and Tom's screams. The boy stopped to look at her with concern.

_"Get away from him!"_

"What's the matter?" the boy asked her.

_"Get away from him!"_

Honey focused on silencing Tom and forced him back inside Riddle Manor. The pain in her hand had dulled and was tingling.

"Headache?" the boy asked.

"Yes, it's gone now." Honey answered.

"I get those often." he admitted.

"You don't have to walk me back. And..." she touched the cool sheet they were under. "What is this?"

"It's..." the boy appeared apprehensive for a moment but took a deep breath and said. "It's an invisibility cloak."

Honey's body stiffened. She could not believe that she had come across one of the Deathly Hallows by chance. If this was the invisibility cloak it meant -

"You're Harry Potter." she said. Images of the man lying dead on the floor and a woman's screams flashed in her mind.

_Not Harry, please no, don't kill him, take me, kill me instead!_

"Yes." he said in a low tone as if he was embarrassed.

Honey pulled herself from the trance and blinked to fully look at his face. How had she not recognized him before? "You look like him. Your father. I...I saw his...your parents photographs." She lied.

Harry nervously looked away. "Do you read the Daily Prophet?" he asked.

"No. I read books."

"Good. The Daily Prophet has nothing but rubbish on it." he said with a harsh tone.

"I'll keep that in mind." she waited three seconds before saying the next thing. "I can walk myself back. There is no need to trouble you."

"No. Umbridge will give you detention if you are caught. You wouldn't want to serve detention with her. Trust me." He said with a haunting tone.

They walked in silence the rest of the way with Honey leading. As they grow close to Ravenclaw Tower, she thanked him and walked up the spiral staircase.

"Where is that woman? The ghost." she asked the knocker once she had reached it.

For once the talkative knocker had no riddles for her. It opened, waiting for her to walk inside. Instead of walking through the threshold she walked back down the spiral staircase in search of Peeves. He might have the answers to her questions. Walking in Hogwarts at night was different from the day. There was barely any light too, yet she was aware of the path she was taking. It was as if she had walked through the corridors numerous times before.

"What's this? A student out of bed?" Peeves cackled from behind her.

Perfect, she didn't have to find him. He came to her. She turned around to look at him. The poltergeist looked her up and down, slowly floated back in alert before delivering a deafening scream.

"Quiet!" she ordered him.

Peeves snapped his mouth shut.

"Why were you screaming?" she curiously asked him.

"Impulse." he said, circling her.

"What have I done to receive such a reaction from you?" she curiously asked.

"As if you don't remember you wick witch."

Honey had no idea what he was talking about but it appeared that what happened made him frightened of her.

"And I'll do it again if you don't answer me." she bluffed.

Peeves flew about twenty feet away from her. "What do you want?"

"Tell me. What's my name?" she tested him.

"I see your vanity is ever present, Winifred Sheridan." he snorted.

Honey nodded. Sheridan was her great-grandma's surname. It was chosen as her middle name for sentimental reasons. She walked toward him and reached her hand out to him.

"Keep that thing away from me!" Peeves screamed and flew further away. "I can't believe you succeeded in fusing it to you."

Honey brought her hand back and looked at the dark birthmark. The birthmark he was staring at with unblinking eyes.

"Yes, I did." she played a long to figure out what he was talking about.

He flew a little closer to her to inspect the mark. "Have you gone to the other world yet?"

She still didn't know what he was talking about. "No."

"When you do, tell me about it. I'm going to taunt the ghosts."

"Sure."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Honey went into the girls' bathroom on the first floor. It was Quidditch season, which meant Moaning Myrtle was off haunting the boy's changing rooms to wait and harass them. Becky was in charge of brewing the Polyjuice Potion while Meredith directed her. They had estimated that it would be done the day before the last day of term. Cara had been given the mission of gathering the ingredients from Pansy and Millicent. She was told to gather their hair or other things on their bodies that were not too disgusting to swallow.<p>

"If I had something stuck under my skin, how would I get it out?" Honey asked them. Last night she went to ask Peeves questions about the knocker and was left more confused than ever. But one thing she did know was that there was something embedded in her hand. It might be the cause for her constant pain.

"Like a splinter? My mum used a needle and tweezers to pull it out." said Becky without looking up from the cauldron.

Honey flexed her wrist, inspecting her birthmark. "What if it's something large?"

"Use a large knife with a sharp and pointy end." suggested Meredith. "Slowly cut into the skin and scrap it out."

Honey thanked them and left the bathroom. She went to her dorm room in Ravenclaw Tower and called Lumi. She ordered her to bring her a knife. The house elf did as she was told and brought one to her. Honey took out the salve Madam Phomfrey gave her. She wore a glove on her free hand and rubbed it over the birthmark and the area surrounding it. When the hand was completely numb and sensationless she held the knife over the dark mark.

"What are you doing?" asked Lumi in alarm. The elf's eyes became larger if possible and her bat-like ears dropped downward.

"Cutting this out."

"No!" The house elf screamed.

The knife vanished from Honey's hand. Lumi ran to hug her leg.

"Don't! Why would you do that? You cannot mutilate yourself." The house elf sobbed.

"It might stop hurting if I do." Honey told her calmly.

"No! No!"

"Don't cry, Lumi." Honey comforted her.


	9. Chapter 9

Inside of her windowless bedroom, Honey laid on the bed attempting to figure out the answers to the mysteries surrounding her. She had come up with a few theories of her own but nothing solid. It was too confusing and it was giving her a headache. She needed help from a second brain. They could help her think. It was just her luck that she indeed possessed extra brains in the form of demented, eternal teenagers. She would ask them for advice but they are not trustworthy. She closed her eyes and brought herself back to her bedroom in Hogwarts.

Honey went inside of the Chamber of Secrets. She took out her miniature sized broom and enlarged it. Mounting the handle, she flew to the top of the statue to get a better look at it. She stopped in front of Salazar's face to study it. Slowly she inched close until her hand touched the cold stone. The mouth of the statue opened. She jerked her broom back at the sudden movement. Salazar's mouth opened, wider and wider, making a huge black hole.

"Lumos Maxima!" she shouted and sent the charm into the mouth and peered inside.

After several minutes of waiting, Honey decided to go inside of the dark opening to investigate it. Performing another Lumos charm, she cautiously flew inside. Near the entrance many indentations lined the walls. It was as if something had repeatedly scratched them. As she flew further, she heard a strange noise behind her. She turned back in time to see the mouth closing. Trapping her inside. She was on the verge of panicking when the room suddenly glowed. She found herself inside of a large chamber and froze, stunned by the beauty of the room. Marbled shelves decorated the walls, housing stone tomes and scrolls. The ceiling was domed shape with intricate triangular designs. Without having to think, she knew exactly where she was. The Chamber of Secrets. The _real_ Chamber of Secrets. The one she had been inside all along was the antechamber, an entryway to Slyhterin's true chambers. It was magnificence, she was almost afraid to touch anything. She walked toward the shelves and ran her fingertips over the ridges on the spine of the tomes. The symbols on the spine of the book meant water. She didn't know how she knew this. She touched the spine of another tome and that one meant fire. She pulled a tome from the shelf and opened it. The words were moving in a circular pattern. The birthmark on her hand was beginning to move as well.

* * *

><p>Tom was wandering aimlessly inside of Riddle Manor when he felt a disturbance. Something was wrong. He went into Honey's bedroom to ask her what was happening but she was nowhere to be seen. To prove that it was not a delusion created by his wishful thinking he called out to her, "Honey! Where are you?"<p>

There was no answer. She was gone. This was the perfect opportunity to take control of her body. Wait! This might be a trap. What if she was doing it on purpose? They had made an agreement. Maybe she was testing him to see if he was going to keep his end of the bargain? She was probably anticipating he would take control of her body and watching from a hiding place. That must be it. It meant he had to be extra careful about what he did or say.

In Honey's body, Tom entered the Great Hall and was welcomed by the delicious smell of baking pumpkin. He knew almost instantly that it was Halloween. He knew he should not partake in the feast but was unable to help himself. Golden plates appeared when he sat down. He stretched his hand to grab anything he could. That was when he noticed bandages wrapped around his right hand and wrist. He carefully put the items of food on his plate and stared at the bandages. Did Honey have an accident? He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard someone cleared their throat.

"Um...hello." said a boy with blond hair.

Tom ignored him and continued eating.

"Shouldn't your sit at your table?" said someone else.

It was when Tom noticed that he was sitting on the Slytherin's table instead of Ravenclaw. At least he was not a Gryffindor. He patted the corners of his mouth with a napkin and sipped pumpkin juice.

"I'm waiting for a friend." he said and flashed a smiled.

The boys fell for it just like Tom thought they would. While he was in Honey's body he would use it to his advantage. Honey didn't realize it but she was attractive and had an innocent aura that made her seem harmless. He finished his meal and went to the Library for some parchment and a quill. He wrote a letter to Dumbledore asking if Honey could be excused from class for two weeks because of illness. After the approval letter arrived, he headed toward the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets. He didn't know how much time he had until Honey appeared and regain control. Therefore, he had to do everything he needed too, quick. He halted midway when he felt someone grab his arm.

"Honey, didn't you hear us calling you?" said a girl in Ravenclaw, who was followed by another one.

Tom recognized the girls as Honey's friends. "Sorry, no." he pulled his arm from her. "I have lessens. Got to go." he said and continued walking without looking back.

He was too busy getting away from them that he didn't look where he was going and collided into someone.

"Are you all right?"

Tom looked up to see a boy offering his hand out to him. It was Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.

"I'm fine." said Tom. He pushed himself up but fell again because his body felt heavy.

Harry took Tom's arm and helped him stand to his feet. Tom pulled away from Harry and braced himself against the stone wall.

"Thanks." said Tom. "And um...thanks for the other night."

Harry was confused for a moment but took a closer look at Tom. "Oh! You're...you're that girl. Well, you're welcome."

"I've got to go." said Tom. He gave Harry a small wave and walked away. This boy defeated Voldemort with unknown means. He wanted minimal contact with him until he knew what he was dealing with.

"Honey!"

Hogwarts was a large school. Why was he encountering these people one after another?

"Honey," said that Hufflepuff boy, "Something came up. I've got to cancel our lesson today."

"No, problem." said Tom.

As Tom joined the crowd he kept his head low to prevent anyone else from bothering him. He snuck off and entered the series of tunnels which were connected to the Chamber of Secrets and head to the prisoner that was being held inside a smaller hidden chamber.

"Lumi, leave us." ordered Tom.

The house elf vanished.

Marvolo was lying on the bed in the center of the room. His leg was chained to the poster of the bed. He was currently conscious since Lumi hadn't administered his sedatives yet.

"To what do I own the honor of your presence, princess?" Marvolo mocked him.

Tom closed the distance between then and roughly grabbed Marolo's shirt collar.

"Who are you?" demanded Marvolo, suspicious by the look on Honey's face.

"I'm Honey." said Tom.

"What's the point in lying? I know you're not her."

"Of all the children in the world you had to go after me." Tom released Marvolo and snickered.

Marvolo's jaw fell open but he recovered quickly. "I knew it! You are...you are..."

"I am Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Marvolov laughed, "I knew there was a reason why I was drawn to Honey. We are attracted to the same things."

"You are drawn to Honey because I _am_ Honey."

Marvolo was taken back. "What?"

"I had a new life. I am a pureblood. I have new parents, wealth, and privilege. Everything was perfect until you entered it."

Marvolo shook his head in disbelief. "Are you saying..."

"I was attached to Honey's mother when she was young. I was present when she gave birth to Honey. To me. I reincarnated into Honey Sheridan Shafiq. My memories of being Tom Riddle returned to me after you attacked me in the Chamber of Secrets."

"But what about the other Honey."

"I have a separate personality. The other me is a girl."

Marvolo eyes shot to Tom's lower half. "You are a hermaphrodite?"

"No, you idiot! This is a full female body." Tom pointed at himself. "The other me that you see is a portion of my mind who still believes it is Honey. She is unwilling to accept the truth."

"This is ridiculous. I'm fortunate I left _that _body when I did. Won't want to be involved in your crowded mess." said Marvolo.

"Enjoy _this_ while you can."

"What do you mean by that?"

Tom smirked and walked away from him.

"What are you planning?" Marvolo shouted after him.

Tom hoped Honey was watching. Now she would know the truth. They were the same person. If she would think back to our childhood, before Marvolo came, she would realize it. There was a reason they didn't have friends. Why they isolated themselves. They had no memories of being Tom Riddle but there was that feeling of desolation, although there shouldn't be. They should not have felt it when they were surrounded by love. Everyone loved them. They could have everything and anything they wanted. They felt alone because it was embedded inside of them by Wool's Orphanage.

Honey believed she had met him after Marvolo attacked her in the Chamber of Secrets. During that time, her mind had retrieved into her safe heaven, her windowless bedroom. Tom was finally able to break free of the forces that were restraining him. He went to Honey and told her he would punish Marvolo. He took control of her body while she rested. He trapped Marvolo inside of the Chamber of Secrets, went to classes in her place until she recovered, and willingly gave her back control. He accompanied her to Godric's Hallow. He was with her when she met Voldemort.

Honey had to accept him. Accept the truth. For six years, he laid beside her on their bed, encouraging her to recover. They had to leave the hospital to take their revenge on Mavolo. There were also numerous unfinished businesses they had to personally take care of.

Tom and went into the real Chamber of Secrets. With all of these tomes in here, he figured there had to be one that held the secret of separating him and Honey. When they do he would take over Marvolo's body after getting rid of him. He and Honey would be apart in body but they would remain together.

Tom pulled one of the tomes from a shelf and opened it. It was blank just as it was the first time he opened it. He closed the tome and put it back. Slytherin must have put wards on the tomes preventing people from see them. He had to figure out a way to read them. He was inside Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets and yet he was unable to access the ancient wizard's powers.

Maybe he should ask Melissa? Her magic was undeniably powerful. If he had to guess, she probably discovered a way to read the tomes and learned their secrets. He left the Chamber of Secrets and returned to Ravenclaw Towers. He went through Honey's trunk and packed warm clothing. When Tom arrived in Shafiq Manor, Melissa was there to greet him with a hug.

"I received a letter from your headmaster. I was worried." Melissa said.

"I'm fine." said Tom.

Melissa released Tom and then looked at his face. "I am happy to see you, again."

Tom swallowed. Although he would never admit it he was intimidated by Melissa. She was the first and only woman too be able to see right thought him and accepted him for the dark wizard he was.

Tom avoided her gaze. "What did the letter say?"

"He's very concern about you." she said.

"I appreciate his concerns but I assure you I am fine, Mel - mother." He bit his tongue and forced a smile on his lips. He hoped she didn't notice he almost called her by her first name.

Melissa smiled down at him. "Come, let's have tea. You are probably tried from your journey."

Tom's spine went stiff. Somehow he felt that Melissa sensed that he was not Honey. He followed her and sat on a chair and table in the garden room. Melissa poured him tea and offered him some sweets. He looked down at the brown liquid in his cup, contemplating how he should go about asking Melissa.

"You need to get your priorities in order." Melissa advised him. "You don't want to exhaust yourself again."

"Wouldn't want that to happen." he agreed.

"What's that?" Melissa stood and went Tom. Gently, she took his hand into hers and pushed back his sleeve to examine the bandage.

"I...accidently cut myself in potions when I was cutting ingredients."

"Honey Bee, you must be careful." She said and kissed the bandage.

"It's fine, mum." Tom insisted. "Enough about this. I am here to ask you about Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets."

Melissa cautiously caressed his injured hand. "What about the Chamber of Secrets?"

"I've founded it. Its...its breathtaking and the tomes."

Melissa nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"They are written in ancient language. I am having difficulty understanding them."

Tom observed Melissa's reaction to his words. As he had anticipated, she revealed nothing to him. She released his hand and smiled at him. She picked up a cup of tea and offered it to him.

"Drink." she told him.

To please her he took the cup and sipped it. His eyelids went heavy. He was consumed by darkness and was dragged back to Riddle Manor.

* * *

><p>When Honey admitted that she could not read Slytherin's language, Melissa knew this was an imposter. She and Honey were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin. His blood flowed through their veins. His magic surrounded them. They are able to enter his chambers and read his tomes. This imposter was inside Honey's body, which granted him access to the chamber but not the ability to see the words on the tomes. Slytherin had placed magic wards that hid it from those with tainted blood or magic.<p>

Melissa carried Honey back to her bedroom and laid her on the bed. She had to owl Ben and her mother-in-law, Cynthia.

As soon as Ben and his mother arrived, they went straight to Honey's bedroom where Melissa waited for them. Cynthia hugged Melissa before going to Honey and noticed the bandage on her hand.

"What's this? She injured her?" asked Cynthia.

"I honestly don't know." admitted Melissa.

"What happened?" asked Ben.

"Honey has left her body again and an imposter took over. Don't worry, I handled it."

"We've got to find Honey. I tried calling her name but she's not responding like last time." said Melissa.

"She probably can't hear you. How long has she been gone?" said Cynthia.

"Dumbledore's letter said she missed three days of class and suddenly owled him today that she was ill and need two weeks to herself." Melissa told them.

"Three days? Brilliant! She could be anywhere." said Ben.

"The longer she is away from us the further she wanders." Cynthia said. She took Honey's hand and slowly unwrap the bandages. She took a step back, the bandages slipping from her hands and fell onto the floor.

All three stared in disbelief at Honey's hand.

Ben summoned his pungi. He put it against his mouth and blow. The pungi was an instrument made from a gourd, which channels air into two reed pipes. His first his step-father, a wealthy Indian wizard, had given him the musical instrument and taught him how to play. The instrument possessed the magical ability to hypnotize snakes. He and his step-father bonded over the love of the music and watching snakes, under the spell of their instrument, dancing in their garden. When he was courting Melissa, he had played his pungi to charm her on one of their dates. Never would he imagine she would be the one charming him. As he blew the notes, her eyes turned into yellow slits. Her hands moved above her head, connecting in a triangular shape like a cobra spreading its hood. Her hips began to swing side to side, her body moved in a boneless serpentine manner. It was mesmerizing. When he stopped playing, she told him the truth about her family's connections to Salazar Slytherin and her magical abilities. Honey, similar to her mother, was affected by the sound of the instrument. Once she heard it she would become hypnotized into dancing in a serpentine manner.

Controlled by the pungi, Melissa swung her hips and dance around Honey's bed. Cynthia watched from the side as her son and daughter-in-law desperately attempt to summon Honey's sprit and return to her body. Honey's body swung from side-to-side. She was thrashing on her bed. When she suddenly sat up and opened her yellow slit eyes they knew she had returned to them.

Melissa slowed the speed of her movements.

"Where have you been?" Melissa asked Honey in Parseltongue.

In a trace, Honey opened her mouth and told her mother what happened.

* * *

><p>Inside the Chambers of Secrets, Honey stared at the birthmark on the back of her wrist. It was moving, becoming smaller. Startled by what she was seeing she dropped the tome she was holding. Her wrist felt stiffed and was stinging. A jeweled dagger caught her line of vision. She grabbed it. Holding it over her other hand she held her breath and swiftly brought the dagger down.<p>

Relief. She felt intense relief. She pulled the dagger out of her flesh. It slid from her hand and fell on the floor in a loud clink. Feeling light-headed, she slowly sat on the floor and lay her back down in the floor. Staring at the domed shape ceiling she saw the triangular designs moving in a circle before she lost conscious.

"Don't think you can get rid of it that easily." Came a deep male voice.

Honey attempted to open her eyes to see who was speaking to her but they were too weak. Her body was paralyzed. All she could do was helpless listen to the voice. Like the other voices she had heard before, he sounded familiar but she did not know who he was.

"It is far too attached to you to leave you be." said the voice.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

"An old friend."

"What friend? I don't know you and those other voices, do you know them?"

"You were acquainted with us. In a _different_ life."

"What are you talking about?"

* * *

><p>"What was he talking about?" Melissa asked Honey.<p>

"I am Winifred Sheridan." Honey replied. She held her mutilated hand up to show her mother. "The Resurrection Stone was embedded in my hand."

Melissa stared at Honey's hand. She had heard of the legends. The magical stone that possess the ability to resurrect the dead. She signaled her husband to stop playing his pungi. Ben instantly stopped blowing. He and Cynthia went to Melissa.

"What did she say?" asked Ben.

"Honey is Great-Grandma Winifred." She told them.

Cynthia and Ben exchanged glances. Their elderly relatives have often said Honey was the reincarnation of their Great-Grandma Winifred and would call her Wendy on several occasions. All this time, they thought it was ramblings of old wizards and witches, who have mistaken Honey for Winifred because the two share a strong family resemblance.

"Really, she is." insisted Melissa. "Winifred had the Resurrection Stone. It was embedded in her hand."

They all turned to look at Honey who was out of her trance. They instantly sensed that something was different about her. She was normally shy and avoided looking at a person's eyes, even them. But currently her gaze was direct. She had a air of confidence around her.

"I have come here in search of Edmund." Honey announced in a normal language for all of them to understand. "Death told me Edmund would be reborn in this time period. I used the stone to reincarnate."

* * *

><p>Tom was inside of his manor when Honey appeared. He rushed to her, happy that she finally revealed herself. He hoped she saw and heard everything he wanted her to.<p>

"Whatever your plans are, I don't care for them." Honey told him. "You need to get out of my body."

Tom hid his disappointment. He didn't want to leave. He was attached to Honey. He loved her.

"We are going back to Hogwarts, kill Marvolo, and put you in his body."

"I'm fine with that." He agreed. He didn't want to leave Honey but if he had his own body they could be together in the outside world. He had no problem with killing Marvolo as he had original planned to. With Honey's full cooperation he would be simple. Honey kept him drugged up most days. It should be easy.

Unfortunately, when Tom and Honey returned to Hogwarts they discovered that Marvolo was missing. Lumi was called back to the manor and left Marvolo on his own. He somehow escaped.

"We've got to find him."


	10. Chapter 10

Panting, Marvolo wiped the sweat from his face and pressed his body against the dark alcove to conceal himself. Earlier, he was lying on the bed and was suddenly aware of his surroundings. The house elf didn't come to give him the sedatives. He did not wait to think of an explanation for the house elf's absence. He struggled out of his restraints, which wasn't strong, and ran. He ran and ran until weakness took over and his legs gave in.

Something might have happened to Honey or Tom for the house elf to not tend to him. The other reason could be that Honey and Tom were teasing him. Soon, they might appear and drag him back to his prison. Fueled by fear, he pushed himself up and continued to run. He didn't know where he was going but he didn't care. He needed to get away. Put enough distance between him and them until he was able to gather his wits. When he did he would return for his revenge.

Marvolo's sprint came to a halt when he tripped over something on the ground. He pushed himself up and looked at what caused his fall. It was a broom. He picked the broom up and inspected it. It was new, polished, and had Honey's name carved on the handle. This was Honey's broom. What was it doing here? He glanced at his surroundings and saw cards scattered on the ground. Holding the broom, he picked up a card with his other hand. They were blank. He dropped the card back on the ground and followed the trail of cards with what little light he had.

* * *

><p>Winifred patted her dress and ran her fingers through her hair. Edmund told her to meet him in the pier over the Great Lake that was south of the school. He was going to propose to her she just knew. They would live happily together and have children and then grandchildren. They would grew old together.<p>

Wendy was pulled from her thoughts when Edmund arrived. He appeared nervous. It was to be expected since he was going to propose marriage in a moment.

When he reached her, he gave her an awkward smile and took a deep breath.

This was it! Winifred braced herself.

"Wendy, listen. We need to break up."

The large smile on Winifred's lips dropped from her face.

"What?" she asked him as she thought she heard him wrong.

"I'm sorry, but we can't be together anymore -"

Edmund never got to finish his sentence since she punched him in the jaw. His head turned at the impact of her fist, the taste of blood in his mouth. He looked back at her in surprise. He had expected she would be upset but never took into consideration that her anger would cause her to physically hurt him. It showed how shocked she was by this.

"Explain yourself!" she demanded.

Edmund swallow his blood and spoke. "Wendy, I love you but...I've decided to be an Auror and I think it's best if we end our relationship."

"You want to be an Auror? What does that have to do with ending our relationship?"

"Being an Auror is a dangerous career. I'm going to have to undergo intense five years of training. If I survive that there's a possibility of losing my life in a mission. I could leave you a widow. I can't do that to you."

As Edmund plead his case Winifred understood his reasons but she was not about to allow him to end their relationship. She loved him. The fool.

"We are not over. Go. Be an Auror. I will wait for you. After your training we are getting married." she said and refused to discuss this subject anymore and marched back to the castle.

Winifred found Alice in the courtyard, ran into her arms, and told her what happened.

"There, there, Wendy..." said Alice, patting her back.

Winifred sobbed uncontrollably on Alice's shoulder.

"That...that foolish Gryffindor!" Winifred choked out.

"I know." Alice said to comfort her.

"I can't believe him!"

* * *

><p>Holding a basket of white flowers, Winifred placed them next to the gravestone with the name Alice Groston carved on it. She looked to the man sitting on the other side of the gravestone. He was heavily breaded with wild, untamed hair. His clothing was ragged with holes and dirt. He smelled awful as he had not bathed in weeks.<p>

"Cadmus, you're brothers are very worried about you." Winifred said carefully.

Cadmus didn't respond to her. He continued to sit there, with a blank stare.

"I am also worried." she said and sat down on the other side of the gravestone. "Alice would not want to see you like this."

"How can she see me? She's dead."

"Well..." Winifred struggled to answer him. "My mum told me that when we die...our souls journey into another realm. It's called the Otherworld. There is everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy."

Cadmus slowly turned his head to Winifred.

"Are you saying she is in the Otherworld waiting for me?"

"Um..." Winifred shook her head. She could see where his thoughts where going.

"No!" he shouted and stood up. "I have to bring her back!"

"Cadmus! That's not what I meant!" Winifred said but he was too far gone to hear her.

"I've got to find a way to the Otherworld!" he declared. "I have to bring her back to marry me!"

He walked away from the gravestone. Winifred chased after him in an attempt to reason with him.

* * *

><p>Winifred thought her tears had completely dried when she wept for Alice and Edmund. But there were still many left when Alice arrived at her home. The beautiful cousin she had loved like a sister had a body short of decay. It shocked and frightened her. The poor woman told her everything Cadmus had done. He brought her back from the dead and kept her locked away like a pet for years. She finally found an opportunity to escape from him and took his magic stone with her. Worse, she had his child in her belly.<p>

"I want to kill it!" Alice confessed.

Winifred gasped in shock. "No, Alice, You can't! This is your child!" she reminded her. "Don't you love him or her?"

"I do! That's why I want it dead. Wendy, I know the pain. I suffer in this state. I can't let my child be like me. I would rather it die than be subjected to this dreadful existence."

Winifred hugged Alice. "How far along are you?"

"Thirteen months."

Winifred looked at Alice's distended belly as she touched her own. She was seven months pregnant herself. She had received education from a midwife about pregnancy and birthing. Carrying a child for thirteen months was far too long. Was that even possible?

"Wendy, I'm scared. I feel movement but there are no sign of birthing. You have to help me. Please. I beg you."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Help me die."

Winifred shook her head. "No! I-I can't do that! I can't do something like that!"

"Look at me, Wendy!" Alice waved her arms over herself. "Look what I have become! I am not human anymore! I am not dead! I am not alive! I don't know what I am but it hurts! Please, release me from this pain! I've tried everything! I can't end it. He always brings me back. Every time the pain worsens." She pulled her sleeve up to show cuts on her wrists. "They don't heal. I have no blood."

Winifred's body trembled from great sorrow. It shocked her to learn that Alice had attempted suicide multiple times. She agreed although it killed a part of her to do this. "I believe I know a method. I forced the Ministry of Magic to give me the animal that took Edmund from me. A Nundu. Its breath is toxic and filled with disease that can wipe out entire villages."

Having heard of the animal and its abilities, Alice nodded in agreement. "It might work, but what if Cadmus uses this stone to revive me again?"

"He can't revive you if he can't find your body and the stone. I will do this for you on one condition."

"Anything!"

"Your child, Alice."

"No! I told you how I feel. I thought you would understand me. I HAVE NO BLOOD! I don't know what this creature inside of my womb is!"

"I understand you, Alice. I do, love. I do. But we have to try and save him or her first. The guilt of doing this for you will follow me to my death." She said. "The knowledge that I ended an innocent child's life with pull me and my own child in an early gave."

"This child might be like me. You will be sparing it the pain. You will be saving it."

"Let's make a deal. If the child is like you I will lay it to rest with you. But if not I will raise it like my own."

Alice lay on a bed and allowed Winifred to remove the creature inside of her. Winifred bathed him in water before wrapping him in blankets. She rocked the wailing newborn in her arms.

"Alice, look at him. He's beautiful just like his mother." Winifred said, handing the small bundle of blankets onto her arms.

Alice accepted her child. She removed the blanket and inspected him, counting his fingers, toes, running her hands over his face and skin. She smiled with joy to see that he was perfect. Normal. Nothing like her.

"He is beautiful!" Alice wept. "_Your_ son is beautiful, Wendy." she kissed his head before giving the newborn back to Winifred. She picked up a cup from the nightstand and drank the contents. She rested her back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"Good night, Alice. I won't let anyone bother you. _Again_." Winifred promised, letting her tears fall.

A house elf appeared and informed her that _he_ was demanding to see her. Winifred nodded. She placed the newborn next to the woman on the bed and ordered the house elf to watch over them. She wiped her eyes, fixed her hair, and grabbed her coat to cover herself before going outside to confront the man behind the gates that surrounded the manor.

"Alice! Alice!" shouted the man. He had dark wild hair, untamed bread, and ragged clothing.

Winifred eyes flared with rage as she ordered him to leave.

"Give me back, Alice! I know she's here!"

"Get off of my property you wretch! Alice is dead."

"Alice is alive! I revived her! I can revive Edmund too! Wendy, listen to me! I have got a magic stone from Death - it'll bring Edmund back!"

"Edmund is dead. I have made peace with that fact. I have said my farewells to him and you should to Alice."

"No! I can't. I love her. I need her with me."

"You are selfish! Leave at once!"

He refused to listen to her and throw his body at the gates. The ancient magic guarding her home sent him flying back. He landed on the ground but quickly got up. He took out his wand and shouted charms and spells at the gates.

She took a breath before revealing the truth to him. "Alice is gone. I laid her back to rest and you will never find that stone."

"You murderer!" he accused her.

"I cannot murder someone who is already dead." she told him logically.

"She is with child, how could you, Wendy? She was your cousin - your best friend! You are a monster!"

"You have known me since Hogwarts, Cadmus. Have you just found out?"

"Just you wait! I'll be back with my brothers!" He hollered and Apparated.

Winifred returned to Alice's bedroom and dismissed the house elf. New tears fell as she pulled the sheets over Alice's body and face.

"Oh!" she gasped. She opened her coat and rubbed her pregnant belly to soothe her unborn child. "There, there, little one. Don't kick so hard." she looked at the newborn that was slumbering next to his other mother. "Your father and Aunt Alice is gone but mummy's got you a brother. We will be waiting for your arrival."

* * *

><p>Marvolo sneered in irritation. He thought he escaped Honey's mind but apparently he was still trapped inside and he had fallen into a deeper level. He was viewing her dreams or something of the sort. From what he could gather, Honey or Winifred or Wendy, whatever her name was, was a spoiled brat and madly in love with the boy name Edmund.<p>

He walked away from the scene. He got on the broom and flew, searching for an exit. Unfortunately, there was none. He was shown more dreams. He witnessed Winifred and Edmund's wedding. He saw them live a mundane and boring life. He saw her mourning Edmund's death. He was killed by a Nundu trying to save everyone. The fool. Winifred was beyond grief. She demanded it be fashioned into clothing and accessories. The Ministry was against it but she had her way. The animal was the only compensation she requested since Edmund did not have a body to bury. His flesh had been dissolved by the Nundu's venom.

Things got interesting when Alice returned from the grave. Marvolo paid extra attention to what was happening at this point. He especially, took note of what Winifred did to the magical black stone that had the ability to resurrect the dead. It was all cleared to him now. The other Horcrux inside Honey lied to him. Honey was not a split personality of him. Honey was Winifred Sheridan and in her possession was the Resurrection Stone. He knew there had to be a reason Honey survived all the times he killed her. He was positive that he succeeded in killing her. The power of the stone must have revived her all those time. Honey's body was not damaged like Alice's body because the stone was in her flesh. It made her immortal. If it made Honey immortal, it would make him immortal too. He had to have that stone. All he had to do was take care of Honey and the other Horcrux. With them gone, the stone would be all his.


	11. Chapter 11

Honey walked through the corridors to get to class. She halted when she heard Meredith calling after her. Meredith and Becky caught up to her. Tom went quiet as she talked to her friends.

"Where have you been? You suddenly disappeared for days, without so much as a word, come back, and ignored us when we called your name? What is going on with you?" Meredith stopped talking to catch her breath.

"We are worried about you." Becky summarized Meredith's rant.

"I'm sorry. I am going through stuff." Honey said.

Meredith thought about the war that was going on. "Oh! I'm sorry. I did not mean to be harsh. It's just um we've got to do our _project _and we need you."

Meredith was talking about the plan for Honey to Polyjuice Potion herself into Pansy Parkinson and put Mackled Malaclaw in Draco Malfoy's dorm room.

"Don't worry. When it's done I will be there." Honey promised them. "I'll see you two later."

"Sure."

After Honey walked off Tom began to talk.

_"What's going on? What project are you and them doing? Doesn't sound like a school project."_

She told him about the Polyjuice Potion.

_"I see...I'm stuck in the body of a girl who is going to transform into another girl for revenge on a boy."_

_"That about sums it up."_

_"Never thought I'd be in this type of position."_

_"Oh, yes. I never imagine I'd have two murderous ghost living in my body. One even escaped. A__nything is possible."_

Tom ignored her sarcasm._ "Why are you doing this? It's not even our business. We have enough to do as it is."_

_"I thought this would interest you. We are going inside Slyhterin's common room. Don't you want to go?"_

_"I do want to see how much it has changed."_

_"It's good that you agree. 'Cause you are going to do it."_

_"Come again?"_

_"You are doing it. I have no tactic, Tom. You are more suited for these type of things."_

Tom thought over Honey's request, which was more of an order. This was probably another one of her tests to win her trust.

_"I won't disappoint you."_

When Honey reached her Charms class she filed into the room with the rest of her classmates and took her seat. Flitwick was teaching everyone how to do countercharms. Honey waved her wand and did it flawlessly.

"How'd you do that?"

Honey looked up to find a classmate staring at her.

"You did it without saying the charm." said the boy.

"No, I didn't. I was only waving my hand. Someone else did it." Honey convinced him.

The boy believed it and returned to what he was doing.

_"You did the countercharm on your first try. That's loads of improvement."_ Tom praised her.

Honey ignored Tom. She continued to practice the spell and wave her wand. She was not able to perform the charm anymore, just as she was barely able to cast Vanishing Spells for Transfiguration. The only classes she excelled at were those that didn't require the use of a wand.

Wizards and witches were supposed to be given wands at young ages and taught to use it in school. Wands are tools to direct magic. Since Honey hadn't even purchased a wand when Marvolo attacked her, she was never taught how to use one until recently. This made her magic roam freely. She was able to perform wandless and nonverbal magic but its unstable and rarely comes out right. She could barely use a wand for simple spells. Tom knew that she was embarrassed by this and she would never forgive Marvolo for doing this to her. Her hatred transferred to him and Voldemort.

_"What are we going to do about Dumbledore?"_ Tom asked Honey while they were in History of Magic class.

"_What about him_?" she asked back.

_"Are you planning on pursuing Dumbledore, search for Marvolo, do schoolwork, your extra project, Qud -"_

"_What is your point?"_ she interrupted him.

_"What I mean to point out is that you can't do all of these things at once. You'll exhausted yourself again. You'll end up in the Hospital Wing, your parents will be contacted, and your father will demand to remove you from the school."_ Tom paused for her to understand. She would be taken away from Hogwarts. Taken from the normal life she dreamed of. _"You must sort out your priorities. Your must choose which is more important, which to do first."_

_"If you want me to focus on capturing Marvolo just say it. No more long winded speech."_

_"I want to find Marvolo as soon as possible." _

Marvolo's escape was unfortunate for Tom and Honey. Both were left regretting that they did not kill him when they had their chances. With Marvolo on the loose it was only a matter of time before he enacts his revenge on them. It meant they had to get him before he strikes first. After talking it over, they decided the one thing that could draw him out was Harry Potter. Tom had to grudgingly admit that he was curious about Harry Potter. If Tom was curious that meant Marvolo was too. No matter what he was doing, eventually, he would approach Harry Potter to see how he caused Voldemort's downfall. It meant they had to stay close to the Boy-Who-Lived.

_"Only stalk him. We don't have to be friends with him." _suggested Tom.

_"Wouldn't it be easier if we were? I can ask Potter if anyone around him was acting suspicious."_

Honey's words reminded Tom of the warning he gave her about Voldemort. So engrossed he was with Marvolo, he almost forgot about Voldemort. He would have brought his older self up but shut his mouth. When Voldermot arrived in Potter Cottage, Honey lost conscious. Her mind protected itself by retreating to the windowless bedroom but she was conscious long enough to hear about the Horcruxes. Tom took control when Voldemort glimpsed inside their mind. Voldemort saw all that occupied Honey's mind, her windowless bedroom. On his end, Tom allowed him to see what he wanted him to see and kept Honey in the dark as much as he could. He stunned Voldemort and went to visit Melissa. Honey woke up after he left Melissa and returned to Malfoy Manor. Tom didn't know what happened between her and Voldemort but as he was a part of Voldemort he could guess. His older self probably fed her lies. This could interfere with Tom's plans. It didn't matter. Between him, who had always taken care of her, and Marvolo, who was trying to kill her, and Voldemort, a man with a bad reputation, in comparison which of them appeared more trustworthy? Tom didn't need Honey's full trust, only enough to get her to help him capture Marvolo. Marvolo first. He could handle Voldemort and everyone else later.

_"Watching him from afar is a better option." _Tom urged. If he was not careful, what happened with Melissa and Ben could happen to Honey and that Potter boy. He had to prevent it by finding something to reattach her to him. He thought of the birthmark she was concerned about. He could use that. When night fell and Honey was asleep, Tom entered her windowless bedroom. He pulled up Honey's sleeve to look at the rough patch of skin on the back of her wrist and whispered an incantation.

* * *

><p>As she slept Honey subconsciously rubbed her birthmark. She awoken and found that she was in an unfamiliar room. She looked up at an old woman who had sharp features and a harsh expression on her face.<p>

"Do you know why no one chooses you, Tom, because you can't behave." said the old woman. The old woman grabbed Honey's arm and pressed the back of her wrist onto a burning hot coal on the stove.

Honey cried from that pain. The old woman vanished but the pain from the coal lingered along with the smell of burning flesh.

"We must behave like good, normal boys or else no one will want us." Tom's voice echoed in the room. He appeared at her side to hold her.

"It hurts. I have to cut it out." muttered Honey.

"You can't cut it out. You can't get rid of it. You can't get rid of our past. Of who _we_ were. Honey?" Tom said cautiously, in seeing that she silent and lost in thought. "Remember me, Honey Bee. Remember our past."

This was his plan? To convince her that she was him? She would have glimpsed his mind to see what else he was planning but couldn't do it anymore. Every time she did it she risked letting him see inside of her mind too. Before he would only see the windowless bedroom but now he would surly see more. If he discovered the truth he would fight her for the stone. She was going to play along with his games, make him believe he was in charge. She would have gotten rid of him already by trapping it inside of the crystals but she had a use for him. She had to keep him with her for a while.

"Oh, Tom!" she cried. "I'm so scared. What are we going to do?"

He hugged her back and promised that everything would be all right. In the next few days relationships between Honey and Tom were better. She behaved like her old self to avert suspicion. She went to all of her classes, lessons, tutoring her friends, and stalking Harry Potter. Things were going back to normal. As normal as it could get with Death looming over your head. Literally. Death couldn't watch her through the cards anymore since she threw them away. She could see his silhouette in the clouds on the enchanted ceiling. No one even Tom could see him. She had the ability to see Death and shadows of the creatures invisible to normal eyes. Tom could see some of the creatures too but he didn't seem to care.

_"What do you think of Potter?"_ Tom asked Honey.

They were spying on Harry Potter in the Great Hall. Class was over and everyone was Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor table with this friends.

_"I have not formed an opinion of him as of yet." _Honey told Tom.

_"Oh," _said Tom,_ "what of his appearance?"_

Honey studied Harry._ "He needs to straighten the collar of his shirt."_

_"I meant...I meant his face."_

Honey was confused by his question._ "Do you mean the scar?"_

_"Do you think he's handsome?" _

_ "I'm going to need a better look at him to answer you." _she replied.

_"Wait, no! Don't go to him! Don't!"_

It was too late. Honey was already standing up to go to Harry but Fred and George caught up to her before she could reach him.

"Honey!" said Fred and George.

"_Get away from them!_" Tom ordered Honey. _"Stay away from all the Gryffindors."_

_"I don't care for Slytherin and Gryffindor rivalry. They are my friends. I am having a conversation with them. Please, I want friends." _Honey told Tom and shut him out. He wouldn't be able to see or hear anything now.

"Haven't see you in a while." said Fred.

"Where have you been hiding?" asked George.

"I've been here. What have you two been up to?" she asked them back.

"Mischief." they said in unison and grinned.

"Why wasn't I invited?" Honey teased them.

"Because you are special." said George.

"You are too innocent for the likes of us." said Fred.

This made Honey laugh. They were the innocent ones compared to her. They would view her as a monster if they knew of the things she did when she was Winifred. But that was all in the past. She was reborn. She had a new life. She should enjoy it.

"Where are you two sitting? Can I sit with you?" she asked them. She missed their company. It was different when she was with them than when she was with Meredith and Becky. Meredith was always in charge. She would order Becky and Honey around and made them do her bidding. Fred and George accepted Honey into their circle. Like now, the twins showed her to their spot and updated her about their latest inventions and ideas.

Feeling the hair on the back of her next erected, Honey knew someone other than Death was watching her. Marvolo was in the Great Hall.

"Great catching up." she said to the twins and stood up. "I've got to go. Talk later."

They said their goodbyes and Honey walked out of the Great Hall and into the corridors. She hoped Mavolo was following her. While talking to the Fred and George, she formulated a brilliant scheme. She released Tom from Riddle Manor.

_"Tom, I don't feel well." _she breathed. Encase Marvolo was near she put her hand over her forehead, appearing as if she was about to faint.

_"I'm taking over." _said Tom and Honey allowed it. _"__Rest. Focus on getting better._"

Honey retreated back into her windowless bedroom where she could watch and hear everything Tom did without his knowledge.

* * *

><p>Also in the Great Hall was Marvolo. He borrowed robes from an unsuspecting seventh year and confiscated his wand. With a glamour charm he fitted himself among the many students, using them as camouflage as he spied on Honey. His plan was to convince Honey that he was Edmund, the husband Winifred was desperately seeking, and trick her into giving him the stone. At first he was going to sneak into her dorm room while she slept and cut her arm off. He thought it over and doubt it would work. Honey might not be able to use a wand but her magic would instinctively protect her. Seducing her was an appealing option. This would be more fun than last time since the other Horcrux revealed himself. They were the same person. They knew each other's weaknesses and strengths. It would be entertaining to match wits with himself, especially when his other self was just as manipulative.<p>

Marvolo believed Honey must have came across the other Horcrux while he was trapped in the crystal. There was no way they were inside of Honey's mind at the same time. He would have noticed. The other Horcrux might know about the stone and wants it for himself. He told him he was a split personality of Honey. Chances are the other Horcrux disguised himself as something else and told Honey the same thing. Honey was simpleminded enough to believe him too. Honey was an easy target but Winifred was a another story. From what he had seen, she was not someone that should be underestimate. Winifred left those memories there for Honey to discover. Honey's broom, which he still had, was near the entrance and her tarot cards were scattered on the floor. Maybe Honey stumble upon it already? The items were laying near the area of the memories. Maybe she went pass it and dropped them there by mistake? Could he be lucky? He had to get information from Honey. But to do that he had to let himself get caught.

Marvolo's gaze moved from Honey to the back of Harry Potter's head. He had his sights on the stone but was curious about the boy. He didn't believe Voldemort was defeated by an infant. There must be something more to that Halloween night. When he had the time he was going find out what it was.

Suddenly seeing Honey standing up and leaving the Great Hall, Marvolo followed her from a distant. Honey's head lowered for a moment. When she lift her head back up, the cold expression in her eyes told him the other Horcrux had taken over. Marvolo took a step back. It was not that he was intimidated by himself but he might sense him. He was not mistaken. Honey's turned her head to his direction and smirked. It looked foreign on the lips of her angelic face.

Marvolo's body was still as a statue as Honey walked toward his direction. He only breath in relief when she went passed, heading somewhere else. He glanced left and right and continued following Honey. She was going toward a large tapestry. The one where the other entrance of the Chamber of Secrets was. After she glanced at her surroundings she disappeared behind it. Taking his chances he went after her after he made sure on one was around. Chains appeared and wrapped themselves around him.

"Has being in the outside world diminished your judgment?" said Honey, but Marvolo knew it was not her. She was grinning at him with malice.

She grabbed one end of the chains and dragged him further into the tunnel, down to the Chamber of Secrets. He was brought back to his prison. He relaxed his body although he was panicking on the inside, anticipating the horror that awaits him. He kept reminding himself that it would be worth it in the end when he has the stone. She threw him onto the bed. The chains elongated and coiled itself on the bed underneath him. She waved her wand over him to remove the glamour charm and transfigured her wand into large silver shears. She walked closer to him with the shears in her hand. It was proof enough that this was the Horcrux and not Honey. She wasn't able to perform magic like this.

Marvolo stared at the shears. "What are you doing with that?"

Honey roughly grabbed a handful of Marvolo's hair and cut it off. "I don't like the length."

Marvolo screamed. He shook his head and struggled. Honey raised her free hand back and slapped his face to silence him. She grabbed his hair, pulling his head back, and stared into his eyes. The copper taste of blood was in his mouth. She had a lot of physical strength in one hand for someone so small.

"I didn't think catching you would be this easy." she said. "You disappoint me." The shears flashed near his eyes and another handful of hair was gone.

"You sick bitch!" Marvolo growled.

"You're a sick bitch too. We are the same person." She laughed, cutting more hair.

"You're one of the young ones aren't you?" Marvolo said to distract Honey. From observing her glee for torture he figured this Horcrux had to be from his younger years. He was more unhinged back then.

She released his hair and step back. "Maybe, maybe not." She said, then she circle the bed.

Marvolo's eyes never left her.

"How did you meet Honey?" asked Marvolo.

The mind games were about to start. Marvolo mentally prepared himself for it. What she did or say next was important. She would lace the truth with lies. He had to dissect her words to find useful information.

"We met on Hogwarts Express. She was adorable. Stared at me with innocence, beautiful, big eyes."

Marvolo found a problem with his description. "You weren't on the train. I was there. It was only me and Honey."

She continued circling the bed. "I wasn't talking about Honey."

Marvolo stopped following her movements when he realized that she was purposely making him dizzy. He closed his eyes to center himself.

"You weren't." he stated. He remembered that he said he was with Honey's mother first.

Honey stopped her stride at the foot of the bed, giving Marvolo a good look at her. Marvolo's eyes wander over her body, making note of the accessories she was wearing. The Horcrux had to be somewhere on her body, an item she never takes off. The problem was, she wasn't wearing any he could see. His assessment was halted when the familiar syringe with a needle came into sight. He bit his tongue, letting the pain distract him from the fear.


End file.
